


Why you stayed.

by ForestFox



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Jennifer Blake/Derek Hale, Nogitsune, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Possession, Post-Nogitsune Stiles Stilinski, Resolved Sexual Tension, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Underage Kissing, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 01:36:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11369841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestFox/pseuds/ForestFox
Summary: There is no such thing as soul mates, not really. But you can get pretty damn close. All you have to do is follow your nose. Derek just has to decide how long he's willing to wait around for his underage match. Or will he just find someone else that smells as good to him as Stiles does.





	1. Murphy's Law

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Letsplaysomethingdifferent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Letsplaysomethingdifferent/gifts).



> This was written for letsplaysomethingdifferent~ I tried to stay on point for your request but the story got away from me. I hope you like it anyway even though it was a bit dramatic. I hope that I managed to convey the whole idea of Derek and Stiles fighting to make this work throughout all of the nuts stuff that happened.   
> \- Warnings: possession, violence, minor character death, infidelity?

<p>Talia strolled into the police department with a bright smile. After all, she was the one attempting not to raise a local alarm, that would have happened if Peter had come. She was just a lawyer, just swinging by to check something, nothing to see at all. She was easily directed into the Sheriff’s office by one of the deputies. The Sheriff was an aging man still in his prime, she admired that a human could weather such a stressful position so well. He sat alone in his office at the desk brooding over paperwork with a frown. “Ah so you already know.” She murmured softly noting that even though he looked emotionally beaten down, he certainly was still able to bear the burden of his duty.

  
The Beacon Hills Sheriff looked up at her with a frown, “I had a feeling I’d see you. Are you already handling this?” He tapped the corner of a barely visible photo under sheets of paper. Talia could see a dismembered arm, not that she needed to see the whole picture. She had seen it in person, the scent of blood and rot still ghosting in the air when she remembered. How the body had been left that long without being found she didn’t know, yet.

“You know we are. But I’d like your promise to aid in fielding the force.” She said calmly. “The festival is coming up and brilliant luck that we Hales have, there will be a lot on the preserve people don’t need to see on top of the dead bodies and rogue wolves.”

The Sheriff gave her a tight pained smile. “Right- The festival. Is there really no way we can get that rescheduled or moved?”

Talia crossed her arms staring at him. They had been planning it for months, running each contingency plan by the Sheriff in case things went wrong. He sighed rubbing a hand over his face. “Right. I had to ask, you know this will mean late hours for me. I have a son Talia- a teenage son. You know what that was like right?” He stressed as both of them thought of the trouble Derek had gotten into years ago.

“Is there anything that could convince him to be a good boy while Daddy’s out saving the people from evil?” She teased with a smirk. No way could Stiles be as much trouble as a rambunctious werewolf teen. She could handle this, or rather Laura would.

“He wants to buy Scott a video game system. I can’t remember which one,” he admitted suggestively.

“Ah, the power of the all mighty dollar, I can work with that. There is plenty for him to do around the preserve,” she smiled sweetly back. A few bills couldn’t hurt to get things done around the preserve. There certainly was always something that needed doing.

“I don’t want him to know about this stuff…” he warned. She gave a dismissive nod, it wasn’t like she was going to have him around the festival areas. As long as he stayed in the house for his work everything would be fine.

“Well then Sheriff. We’ll keep in touch.” He’d practically be living at the preserve for the next several weeks if this rogue wolf had his way. He gave a lazy nod waving her towards the door. She rolled her eyes at him, and left without argument. He was human and to be forgiven for his minimal slights to her alphahood. After all, compromise was the root of peace!


	2. The Silver Spoon

Stiles frowned peering around the grand house he had just entered alone. The things he did for love; like whoring himself out like a sweatshop worker to the rich folks in town. He felt like he was filth creeping in on a sterile environment, even though it was hardly sterile, just perfect and expensive looking. He eyed the flawless hardwood floors in the foyer disappearing into other rooms beyond his vision through perfectly framed doorways. There were carefully displayed plants in flawless vases, family pictures lining the walls, more than he could count with far too many different faces.

What kind of old money was this one? He couldn’t remember. He knew the Martins were old money too, but Lydia’s mom had decided to make her own fortune selling houses. So he was pretty sure eventually when his future grandkids went to school, everything would have owned by Martin Properties on it.  Hales- right he was at the Hale house on the preserve. All the stink of richness was making him lose his train of thought. Well stink wasn’t the right word. He was pretty sure it smelled like peppermint in here right now.

“Laura, you cunt, I said leave my tea alone,” screamed a girl walking into the foyer, she paused looking at him. “Stiles what are you doing here?” He blinked at her trying to remember her name, or where he had seen her. She was wearing too much clothing, his mind offer as he eyed her tattered jeans. Right, Cora Hale, the cheerleader- with a freshmen brother on the lacrosse team, and an older brother a distant grad formerly part of the varsity basketball team.

“My name is Pedro and Pedro is here for a peso.” He snipped without thinking. Cora looked at him in shock for a moment before bursting out in a loud whole body laugh. It didn’t last all that long and she recovered straightening to look at him distractedly for a moment. She seemed to be listening to nothing in deep thought. She seemed to change her mind about whatever she might have been thinking and closed the space between them.

“What did my mom try to charity you about this time? Is she treating you like an orphan?” Cora asked slipping her arm into his and pulling him away from the front door. Well Mrs. Hale had only told him to show up at this time, not who to talk to or what to do.

“She said she’s going to pay me for odd jobs…” He answered back letting her pull him into the kitchen with no resistance. He felt his growing irritation at his situation die in his throat. This kitchen could serve God! Even though it was behind wooden paneling, he could tell where the hidden fridge was, it probably had a coffee maker built into the door. That had to be a rich people’s fridge thing. If it wasn’t maybe he could convince them to invest in it. He eyed the open flame stove with its black iron claws surrounding the stainless steel eyes. This was a cook’s heaven. “Does Gordon Ramsey cook here?”

“No, but sometimes we hire a chef to cook the holiday meals.” Cora said dismissively going over to a gorgeous coffee maker that he was already thinking of stealing and making a run for it. Pulling the glass container free she plucked tea bags out and threw them away. He almost winced watching her kick the door hiding the trashcan shut, rich people! Ignoring her for a moment he looked around resisting the urge to rummage through the drawers and cabinets to see what other goodies were in this glorious domestic haven.

She was quick to reload the coffee maker and stick more tea bags in. That got his attention. “Woah… what are you doing?”

“Making tea.” She looked up at him as though he were stupid. “I’d use the microwave but I don’t want to burn my fingers on another coffee cup.”

“Somewhere in England people are fainting because of you,” he grumbled, “Where’s your kettle? I’ll make you some tea.”

She looked at him for a moment before she gave a dismissive shrug. “If I don’t have to make my own tea I won’t complain and I don’t know. Find it yourself.” He didn’t even bother arguing with her. He’d get to see a full equipped, and if he was lucky, a professionally equipped kitchen.

As he was searching for the elusive kettle he heard someone else walk in panting. “God Der you’re so gross. Go shower.” Cora growled.

“I will,” A casual smooth voice replied followed up by the sound of the fridge opening. “What smells like pancakes and- what is that smell…” Stiles looked over his shoulder he saw Cora waving her hand in front of her neck trying to silence this Der. Looking over his other shoulder and under the door he was currently propping open he saw a model. His best guess was that he had probably seen him on the cover of some men’s cologne ad with a swooning babe in his arms. The kind of guy men wanted to be and women wanted to marry. The kind of guy that made him feel suddenly every bit the shrimpy geek he always denied he was.

He blinked at the baffled look on the guy’s face. “Is there something on my face? Because I know I cleaned up before I got here and I’ve been here for ten minutes give or take… not long enough to... well anything really.”

“Stiles, Derek, Derek, Stiles.” Cora said the boredom back in her voice. Stiles nodded looking only momentarily at the guy’s face. Stubble and chisel features that probably had women quivering, but his eyes were drawn down to his sweaty body, the bottle of water clutched in his strong hands, and the way he leaned towards the cool air of the fridge. He was wearing a loose muscle shirt showing off just enough of his built body that Stiles was tempted to turn and leave. No money was worth feeling like a baby next to this guy, Scott’s gift be damned.

“Hi.” He said filling the emptiness Stiles left in the conversation. Right, he was supposed to be talking.

“I’m trying to find the kettle- to make Cora tea… and find a job to do.” He responded glancing back at the cabinet knowing he would see no kettle.

“Pedro’s needing some pesos.” Cora snickered. “But Pedro’s kind of shit at making tea fast.” He wanted to roll his eyes at her. She was the lazy rich bitch who was using a coffee maker! But he bit his tongue, he didn’t want to get kicked out, someone in this family was good friends with his dad and that was good enough for him to try to keep the peace for just a bit.

“Now he’s Pedro?” Derek smirked finally taking a gulp from his water bottle. Stiles couldn’t help how his eyes zeroed in on the guy’s neck watching his muscles work. He could feel the self-pity growing by the second the longer he was in Derek’s company. “You were almost there.” Shutting the fridge he closed the distance between them with quick smooth strides. Only briefly was his attention broken to stare at the fine marble slab that was the kitchen island counter. He wanted to camp out under the dinner table, maybe with Mister Tall and Built having a conversation about how to get a body like his.

Taking up the spot right next to him, Derek opened the next cabinet door and pulled out the kettle. “This is where Uncle Pete keeps his tea stuff.” Even though Derek’s breath had evened out from whatever had had him panting, he inhaled deeply confusing Stiles. But he said nothing instead opting to actually look at the guy’s half pleased face, looking high and thinking deep meaningless thoughts. Derek’s half lidded eyes barely hiding those brilliant red eyes too. Stiles blinked and frowned seeing hazel eyes for sure, a very nice gradient of them too. One he couldn’t exactly put his finger on that made him want to stare to figure it out. Probably just a trick of the light, he easily dismissed the idea of red as he shut his own cabinet door to take the kettle.

The moment to stare was gone as Derek handed him the much sought after kettle and walked out the room wordlessly. “Okay…” He said dumbly to the empty air beside him now.

“That’s my brother for you,” Cora gave a dismissive shrug, “now make me tea.” That sounded like an order and he was considering tossing her some venomous words. But at the same time he saw that there was no point. People like her were born and raised this way, it’s just how they thought the world worked. She had the attitude her rearing had given her and if he couldn’t get over that or learn to deal with it, he’d be out of a job fast and Scott wouldn’t get any epic birthday gifts from him. He wanted to get Scott a birthday gift for the ages dammit and no rich brats were going to stop him!

He began the process ever aware of the fact Cora was watching him instead of wandering off expecting him to bring her tea to her like a servant. Determined to break the eeriness of her stare he spoke up, “I can’t believe you guys have a pizza stone. I’ve always wanted one of those.” Not that he would be making pizza often, it just wasn’t good for his dad.

“Want to use it? We were just going to order take out. If you want to make pizza, Betty Crocker your heart out.” Cora sounded as bored as before. Why didn’t she just wander off and find something interesting to do? 

“Homemade pizza takes an almost two hours if not more.” He offered up looking at the clock. They’d surely be too hungry before he got done.

“Papa Jay it is then!” Cora said finally showing a bit of delight. The way she was practically leering at him was challenging. A kid who was used to getting her way one way or another.

He frowned, “I didn’t say I didn’t want to. I was just letting you know it will be a bit if you are hungry.”

“Good. Get cracking I want a meat lovers.” Cora declared before stomping out of the kitchen. He stared in mute shock for quite a bit before he jumped at her sudden shouting. “And don’t forget my tea! Peppermint!”

He finally got home hours later, towing a whole wheat crust, veggie pizza with a bit of bacon crumbled on top as payment with him. His father would thank him for the scant meat and change of pace in the endless stream of painful tofu and turkey options. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all, he kind of liked most of the Hales. The horde of young boys had been amusing, while all the older siblings left him wondering. He hadn’t realized the Hale connections until the heads of the house walked in though. They were old political money. Talia Hale was an in demand defense lawyer who had strode into the house like she owned the world. Peter Hale, the mayor of the damn town took one look at him and his flour coated face and laughed. Even Jeremiah Hale, the head of the Hale family was there, the guy was the Beacon Hills property assessor.  How much family could people cram into one house?

Granted he had known the Hales were a powerful family, but being reminded, in person, while dressed in pizza had not been fun. Needless to say he hadn’t been prepared. He wondered if he even had ‘nice clothes’ to wear next time he strolled into the house.

Pushing them out of his mind he had to make sure to settle payment before he did the work next time. He wasn’t going to get Scott anything if he was going to get paid in food all the time. Throwing himself onto his bed he considered playing video games and then sleeping. Instead, he got comfortable on his mattress and the thought of games oozed away to sleep.

He knew he had been dreaming, still was too. But what he had dreamed of before was hazy. He was going to wake up soon but not quite yet. He could enjoy where he was until then, if God was merciful he would be asleep much much longer. Wet dreams of Lydia were always great, even if this one was weird. Cora was next to the naked red head in her cheerleader outfit kissing her on an endless bed of white. Weird, but hot, he wasn’t going to complain. His ex, Malia, was there too lounging in lingerie eating chocolate out of a box above Lydia. He wasn’t use to the crowd watching critically as he was actually having sex with Lydia even if her mouth was busy with Cora.

What surprised him more than the crowd was the sense of warm hands on his hips. The press of that heat growing against his back as a voice smoothly slid into his ear. “That’s right baby fuck her good.” He wanted to wake up now. He knew that voice that was backed up by the sudden sharpness of a stubble covered chin resting on his shoulder. Derek’s hands on his hips pressed harder, almost guiding his thrusts. This was so terribly wrong, but perfectly arousing. “I know you care about your performance. So you can practice on this bitch for me. And then-” His voice was a hot press in his ear, stubble tickling his neck.

Stiles shivered feeling a warm wet tongue trace the shell of his ear. “Then I’ll let you make love to me.” The desperate moan pushed him, jolted him really, right out of the dream. Panting he sat up looking around. No naked babes more interested in each other than him, no burly bear going for his dick. He was safe- safe, hard, and trembling at the memory of that moan. He wanted someone to want him like that. Not even considering the weirdness of what he was doing, he slipped his fist into his briefs attempting to make quick work of his hard dick before the dream really slipped away.

That fucking voice- that moan of wanting for __him__  of all people! “Bet he’s rough,” He growled just thinking of what kind of passion a guy like that had bottled up. Hot kisses that left stubble burn? Hell yes. With those arms, no matter what Stiles might want he could be man handled into __any__  position, or know that anything he might get that body to do was utter surrender on Derek’s part. Both ideas were equally exciting, toe curling even.

“Yes- __yes,__ ” He hissed to no one feeling that beginning of the pull in his balls. He was going to come fast and hard, just how he wanted to right now. 

Having Derek’s affections would surely be bed breaking, table fucking, breath stealing, soul shattering __desire__. He wanted to drown in want that bad. With a choked back whimper he came wishing that that dream Derek that wanted him might somehow be like the real Derek.


	3. Love Potion #9

Derek was going to tear Stiles apart. The kid was on his phone _again_! He was supposed to pay him for helping in the green house. And yet, as he walked by determined to find some reason to kick him out, he saw him doing a spectacular job. Were he anything less than mildly annoyed he might have snapped, but he kept his quiet glancing at the screen. He couldn’t tell much of what was on the kid’s phone but he could see vague pictures of plants and endless words on the screen. He was doing research?

“What are you reading?” He attempted to discreetly sniff the air again. He couldn’t help it, the kid was an excitable teen giving on some of the best scents he had sniffed in a while. Unlike the last time he saw him, he was giving off the scent lust now, and pride maybe, which was its own perk. It smelled different than it did on Kate, but so close that he hesitated to call it something else.

The reaction to his question was instant. He jumped turning sharply to look at him. He nearly even hit him with his flailing arms and he dropped his phone. “Uh, Wikipedia, I was seeing if there was a more efficient way to organize these- uh-” He watched in silence carefully taking note of the increased lust in the air and embarrassment. He was hardly ever of two minds with his wolf, not really. But he did make his best tries at being actually one hundred percent normal in human company. But right now he was resisting the urge to push Stiles down and smell his- everything. Any spot a new scent could hide, or where a faint smell might be tucked away that wasn’t wafting in the open.

“Seeds.” He finished for him reaching passed him towards the carefully managed containers. “Really I just need you to look at them, make sure nothing has gotten in and that they are still good. Sometimes they can get damaged by moisture and pests. There isn’t a point in reorganizing the structure without sitting down with me and working it out together. After all this is my greenhouse and I need to know where things are.”

He could feel the intensity of arousal thickening in the air. The kid had to be popping a stiffy right now, because of him? He hadn’t figured him for a bisexual with what he had heard from him last night over pizza. The name Lydia had been dropped more than enough times to imply some sort of crush. Unable to resist the urge this time he leaned in just a bit closer. There was so little space between them now it was awkward, but still acceptable.

He was looking down at him, as much as he could when they were almost the same height. A beanpole of a teen really, looking up at him with open expressive dark eyes. Desire, lust, desperation filled his nose and his resolve to be normal and human turned into smoke carried away by the winds of wolf. He could read this kid in the air, and this kid __wanted__. He was screaming his want into the air to be fucked and loved by smell alone. But he resisted at least that, there were laws that would have him behind bars before nightfall if Daddy Sheriff had anything to say about it. He Instead he wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him harshly against his body.

Pressing his nose into the crook of his neck he inhaled deeply. He did his best to try to peel apart the layers of message his scent gave off doing his best to tune out the gasp. He smelled a bit scared of what was happening, but not enough to fight it. The desire and lust over taking that pitiful scent quickly as hands reached up and gripped his shoulders tightly. The was the odd smell of medication there, a root of his scent, but he moved on ignoring it for the next one, a general blended scent of food- the sign of a homemaker, ink, lead, and paper finely woven together- a scholar, and there another scent, the one he had faintly caught yesterday. That was the scent that drove him wild. He could already feel his alpha crawling to the surface, inking his eyes red. He gave a soft gasp helping Stiles rock against him, those spastic arms wrapping around his neck.

“I’m so glad you aren’t a dream.” Stiles breathed throwing his head back. That confused him, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t stop now, he could barely reel himself back in from shifting. He nuzzled that warm skin trying to drown in that smell. That smell that he couldn’t fucking name, making him push Stiles against the wooden table they had been working on. He heard a pot tip over and shatter, but he knew it was empty and put it out of his mind. He was being dry humped by a lusty teen, but he didn’t care, he just wanted that smell. A leg hooked around his hips making that jean clad erection more obvious- but the scent! Oh it was going to his head now, half hard he made no effort to hide his inhuman sniffing. Pressing his nose to the base of his ear he opened his mouth against Stiles’s neck, anything to get more of that perfect smell.

“You smell so good,” he growled feeling his fangs drop. He was losing it, he knew it. His wolf was insane with the need for more of that smell. If he could just get him really worked up and really sweating it would saturate the air! He was moments away from running his tongue along that fine stretch of pale flesh when Stiles stilled. Feeling his caution snap back into place he forced his fangs away and realized that Stiles hadn’t noticed. No, he had simply cum from what he had been doing. The faint salty smell of cum hiding under the obvious scent of sweat making him just that much more dizzy.

“What the fuck am I doing?” He choked out finally jerking away clapping a hand over his eyes. He knew those were still blood red. He needed to get himself under control before he did something stupid, like bite the kid.

“Uh- dry humping me…?” Stiles offered up clearly worried by the scent in the air. He felt faint scent of self-loathing starting to taint the air. He didn’t want the kid to hate himself because he couldn’t keep his wolf under control.

“No I mean…. I have a girlfriend,” He choked out. That helped instantly, the thought of Kate’s anger at his infidelity chilled his wolf. Embarrassment was back in the air tenfold and shame, he wanted to comfort the kid, it wasn’t his fault Derek was a fuck up, but he resisted. Giving him a weak glare as if to blame him for what happened he hoped that turned him off the idea of pushing his luck. It was best not to give the kid any hope that this would happen again. He had been a teenager once, he could see the bad ideas forming in his head.

“I need to take a walk,” Stiles said sharply, kneeling down to snatch his forgotten phone off the ground. “I’ll be back to finish this up, but I just need some fresh air.” He gave a silent nod watching Stiles weave through the tables and plants to get out of the greenhouse as fast and safely as possible. He chewed his bottom lip thinking, and still smelling that deliciously mysterious scent lingering in the air. Eyeing the clock in the room he knew he had time before dinner would be called.

“He won’t be back any time soon,” he reassured himself popping open the button of his jeans. What the kid didn’t know wouldn’t encourage him.

-

A standoff between the nudist colony and the local police is not how he planned to end his night. Stiles was kneeling in the dirt next to Scott watching his father yelling at the entire Hale family, at least most of it. All the adults were there except Laura and Cici who had held back with the children and teens.

“How could you let it get away? And my son! How could you let him get in the middle of this?” His father shouted waving his gun around in a near insane rage. He pointed the gun straight at Talia Hale shaking it at her. “You have four alphas in your family and you let one get away? That mutt bit Scott! It can’t go around biting people!”

His brain was still trying to process this whole mess with Scott curled at his knees clutching his bleeding side.

“Put the gun down Noah, you wouldn’t want to shoot anyone on accident, you are carrying the right ammo right now you know,” Talia stated nonchalantly as though standing in the middle of the night in her birthday suit was normal.

“Watch your language Sheriff,” Peter followed up in an equally cool voice, only he was smirking as though it was all a joke.

“Oh shut up.” He watched in shock as his father dropped the gun and pulled a second gun from his shoulder holster and shot three bullets into Peter’s right leg in rapid succession. Stiles screamed in horror. His father had gone off the deep end. He was going to get fired and jailed. He had just shot the mayor!

Talia snarled taking steps forward even as Peter howled dropping to one knee. “Sheriff you go too far.” A pretty brunette that reminded him of his mother took Talia by the shoulder pulling her back. “Alpha, if I may. Peter enjoys pissing the Sheriff off. He was asking for it.”

“What’s going on!” Stiles shouted seeing black edging at his vision as Peter started laughing. His fingers looked longer somehow. The guy was digging the bullets out of his leg somehow making more blood gush out than when he had been shot.

“Shut up Stiles,” His father snapped still pointing his gun at the Hales seemingly deciding who to shoot next. “You said you’d keep him out of the loop. He wasn’t supposed to know. And now with Scott… you better take care of both of them!”

Talia was arguing in a low voice at the woman who had stopped her. Oddly her eyes seemed to be glowing red as the other woman’s eyes flashed gold. Jeremiah worked his way forward sighing, “My children mean well Sheriff, but even we can’t control odd chance. Your son was out in the woods with his friend, why we don’t know, and just had the misfortune of getting caught by the rogue. We will take the pup in and we will keep Stiles safe when he is here. We will keep him guarded from now on as long as he is on the property.”

Stiles glanced at Derek then. The guy was looking down at the ground in the buff. He wanted to look and admire his body but he was dizzy with panic now. He could barely keep his eyes pinned to one spot for more than a second or two. Scott gave a pained groan making him all but dive forward to cover him with his body as though it did any good now. He was bleeding- dying maybe? Either way he’d rather be protecting Scott than watching the horde of naked athletes arguing with his dad.

He couldn’t breathe, he knew what was happening even as he desperately tried to keep a protective position over Scott. “What’s wrong with him?” Derek’s voice broke the arguing. He tried to look up at that. But he had to already be losing it. The entire pack of nude Hales had eerie glowing eyes looking at him in a weird sort of worry. Then his Dad filled his vision concern on his face as they ran through their unfortunately well practice routine.

Talia’s voice was a swimming disembodied thing as he tried hard to listen to his dad hushed and focused hisses. “Take care of your son. We’ll take care of the pup. Despite what failings you think we have- if we hadn’t come and stopped that rogue that boy would be dead.” Scott’s body was being moved. He couldn’t think- couldn’t breathe- Scott was hurt! Who was moving him?

His father was trying hard to keep his attention as his frantic eyes caught Jeremiah walking away. He could see Scott’s limp head hanging down. The old bastard was carrying Scott off in a careless bridal hold. How bad was the wound? Were his guts going to fall out? He had to look away his mind absently reminding him he didn’t want to see the old man’s wrinkly ass no matter how well toned he was. Then his mind was snapping back to the knowledge he was suffocating to death.

Heat pushed between him and his father as he focused on his voice. “Breathe Stiles- dammit son breathe.” Fur slipped between his frantic arms, a body to lean on- covered in black fur. He clung to the furry mass between his arms nodding gasping for air.

“That’s right son breathe with me.” His father insisted taking deep deliberate breaths to guide him. He was nodding frantically trying to get control of his body. The panic was receding, but only just, he glanced around for the rest of the Hales. But all he was greeted by was a pack of dogs eyeing him, a collection of golden eyed dogs sitting stoically in his direction. Most of them had inky black coats that bled into the darkness of the night, with a scant few displaying mixed colored coats.

“S-Scott?” He croaked out digging his fingers into the warm dog that was his panic buddy.

“He should be fine,” his father offered up, “but we need to get you home son. You need to rest.” His mind dismissed the ‘should be’, he wouldn’t let himself think like that. Stiles nodded knowing that even as his panic attack finally faded away he was too tired from the day. It had been long and emotional punctuated by Scott coming out to comfort him only to get mauled by a feral mutant coyote.

His brain stopped processing the thoughts even as a part of him nagged about the point of the naked Hales. The dog he had been hugging took a spot by his side and helping him along through the trees. A silly thought came up as his mind suggested neither he nor his father knew where they were going. Regardless of that fact they both followed his weird magical therapy dog, as though that wasn’t a terrible idea.

The ride home was quiet, only adding on to the odd feeling of weightlessness he felt. He contented himself with staring out the window while his dad glanced at him in the rear view mirror. His hands stayed buried in the dog’s fur petting him for comfort. Nothing was really said as they arrived home and Stiles found himself being tucked into bed by his father with his doggy companion weighting down the end of his bed.

He woke up in a haze looking around his room wondering when exactly he had fallen asleep. It was still night and Derek was there, sitting on the side of his bed, naked. He blinked for a few moments considering his last dream of the guy. “Hey,” he muttered dumbly. His body felt so very real and aware now. Just like the last time in his dream, a hyper aware nerve ready to be touched and aroused.

Definitely a dream, he thought as Derek smiled softly down at him. “Hi.” Derek reached out to run a hand through his hair leaving him closing his eyes and smile happily. This was a nice dream considering how today had turned out. Of course the guy who was the pinnacle of masculinity had a girlfriend, he was lucky he wasn’t already married.

“What are you doing in my room?” Would he get to have weird group sex again? He was kind of hoping this time it was them bumping uglies with Lydia running the show- and maybe Malia feeding someone or just him grapes.

“Making sure the rogue doesn’t come back to finish the job,” he watched him consider something in silence for a moment, “I didn’t want to leave you alone just in case.” He seemed pained for a moment to consider that and it just made Stiles smile.

“What about your girlfriend?”

“I’m not the kind of guy that can be unfaithful.” It seemed a clear statement to Stiles. Pushing his sheets down so he could move more freely he sat up to be next to Derek. It was a simple fact that he didn’t have a chance with him so long as he had a girlfriend, but this was a dream. He leaned forward quickly to kiss him only to be greeted with rough stubble on his sensitive lips. “Do you need to make this that much harder for me?”

 He pulled away full of shame. Right, he had let himself get carried away. Just because he had one good dream didn’t mean they were all good. He laid back down quickly turning on his side to face the wall away from Derek. The sooner he woke up the sooner he could forget about this silliness.

He faded into another dream quickly, jerking awake hours later for only a moment to see his window open and the distant howls of what he guessed to be coyotes. A dismissive shrug was all he managed before falling back into sleep.


	4. Warning Bells

A week later Derek was certain Stiles was avoiding him now, or maybe just the entire Hale house. Apparently Scott suddenly being buddies with the Hale pack instead of Stiles was a sore spot. But Cora had assured him he was still determined to make money for something for Scott, even if it would take longer tutoring the incompetent and mowing lawns.

Not that he should feel bad for being avoided, but he did. He had only tried to let himself into the Stilinski house once. The sheriff had let him in glad that at least one wolf was keeping to intense safety of his son outside of the preserve. And it had only taken Stiles ten minutes to get ready to leave and see Scott. He spent the rest of the night stalking the McCall house not trusting an infant wolf to protect Stiles and his distracting mystery scent.

It was only by sheer force of will and his mother’s word that he was out now. Stalking a large party of teenagers looking for Cora, she was supposed to be at home helping the first round of guests to settle into the preserve. With more supernatural beings saturating the area that could take care of themselves at least the rogue would have less place to hide. Unless they were wrong and he wasn’t lingering on the preserve but the whole town. If that was the case they were in trouble.

The music was loud and distracting, waves of faceless disembodied voices trying to drown out his very thoughts. He could smell a whole painful range of booze soaking the air getting him dizzy by proximity. He could feel his inner teen curling up in shame at recalling even half the stupidness he had done compared to the madness happening now. He didn’t even know whose party it was. Just that Cora had declared over the phone her intentions to try to drink enough to get trashed. There wasn’t an alcohol store big enough in Beacon Hills for that, nor could Cora’s body hold enough to make that dream come true.

“Where are you…” He muttered under his breath as he felt a stray hand cup his ass. He turned sharply to see a surprised girl quickly apologize and disappearing into the crush of bodies. The faint sense of her daring bravado turning sour in the air with fear, he supposed he did cut an imposing figure to teens. Is that what Stiles liked about him? Did he scare the lust right into him? That couldn’t be it, the kid didn’t seem to thrive on fear- attention yes, fear no.

He felt another daring teen push at him. “Derek zat you?” The slur in the words didn’t surprise him. He had already had to step over two bodies that thankfully had still had a pulse. He turned back the way he had been going. Stiles stood there in front of him with a bottle in hand. Figures that he would be here, a Beacon Hills High School party then. “See- I wash right-“ Stiles lurched forward as someone bumped into him. He dismissed it looking around for someone who clearly no longer found as he squinted. “I thought wash you… y-you prowl’n for jailbait?” He laughed.

He frowned at that comment, it was too close to home the way his scent drove him to mistakes. He glanced around again trying to find Cora to haul her home. There were already distant relations asking for the family, she had been an idiot to wander off now when it was so important. It would be years before she’d see some of these people again, years before she knew if there was a match… “No I’m looking for Cora.” He stated as flatly as he could manage as he reached out to catch Stiles. He was wobbling again, though clearly having given up on balance as he let himself be caught.

“What’d ya know- me too,” he looked at the bottle in his hand blinking, “where’d I get this?” He watched him stare at it a moment longer in speculation before tipping the bottle back and drinking more. Wine, why the fuck was Stiles drinking wine, it seemed a very dumb thing for a kid like him to be doing. He was the Sheriff’s son he was smarter than that. He tilted his head at the thought. Then again being the Sheriff’s son might be the reason he was attempting to get in trouble.

“Focus Stiles, when was the last time you saw my sister?” He stressed pulling Stiles with him out of the crowded room. He was pretty sure that last touch he had felt was someone trying to lift his wallet. He was laughing uncontrollably as Derek pressed him into a wall halving the effort he needed to hold the kid up.

“Um- saw her with her tongue down Lyddies throat… wait no.. my dream hah. She um, we were talkin’, ‘bout your problem- fam’ly problem- hair problem-“ He made quick work of bouncing Stiles against the wall again to shut him up. Away from the bodies the smell was weaving up through the combined party scent to tickle his senses.

“Shut up.” He snapped hating that someone who couldn’t hold their liquor knew the secret now. The bottle slipped from Stiles grip bouncing on the floor. He glanced down at the dark liquid splashing out on the floor and sinking into the grooves of the wooden flooring. He was getting drunk again, just from the closeness he was sharing with the boy now. He felt his fists tightening in that oversized flannel nightmare that Stiles was wearing.

“Look a’me,” Stiles begged his voice snapping Derek’s attention back up away from the floor. Long fingers covered his tight fists sloppily, fingers that had combed through his fur affectionately. Why couldn’t Stiles be okay with him like he had been the first night? Petting him and holding him close, instead of glaring at him when he was noticed at all in that form. “Yea- Der you are so intens. Want you to fuck me-“

“You probably want a lot of people to screw you.” He interrupted feeling his claws threatening to rip into Stiles clothes as that unknown scent became laced with arousal and unrestrained desire. He shook his head trying not to relate how badly Stiles wanted him to what might be waiting for him in the kid’s pants.

“So wat- want you most.” He insisted trying to break free of Derek’s grip and failing. Those sloppy drunk hands slipped away to pat his chest resting there for a moment. He wouldn’t get any words to come out of his mouth as those palms flattened on his chest, a single shirt acting as a flimsy barrier from Stiles’s touch. Stiles’ roaming flat palmed touch that was mapping out his chest with surprising meticulous care. He let his eyes slide shut, feeling the alpha power filling them red. His fists loosen and returned the gentle touches, letting his hands slide up his chest to grip his narrow shoulders and pull him against his chest.

The smell of him was a werewolf effective drug, had he been human he might have not looked at Stiles twice. Stiles’s scent of homemaker broke through the smog of the party to fill his nose. His scent was that of an experienced homemaker with a permanent medical issue tinting his caring scent. All of that was coating that distracting scent that drove him to inhale deeper despite the extra filth tainting the smelling, there was so much more yet to smell. As aroused as he smelt, it only made him wonder when the last time his girlfriend had wanted him that badly, was Stiles a virgin? Was that where all the need came from? And then that sweet arousal, the one that if it were a girl would have signaled a wet and ready sexual partner, turned sour. The red in his eyes dissolved instantly as he snapped them open to look at Stiles.

His thick scent of sadness turned Derek’s gut. “Dun take my Scott- he’s m-m’ne. Please- I love’em.” Stiles was crying against his chest. His upset drove Derek’s arms automatically to hug him closer. His wolf that has been carefully urging him was violent now. Making his mind search frantically for an exit, a way out to get Stiles’ scent evened out again. Not even knowing where he was going, he simply followed the ghost of a fresher scent deeper into the house. The crowd thinned out to couples or exploring teens, keeping Stiles pressed to his side he pushed into a room he could hear was empty. He flipped the light on seeing that he was in a decently furnished study. He wasn’t sure he could have handled falling into a bedroom, thank his lucky stars for that. Guiding Stiles to the chair he knelt down in front of him taking his hands in his.

“Hey, hey…” He insisted ignoring his wolf’s urge to be gentle and sweet to him, “I’m not going to take Scott. It’s just a very important time for him right now to learn to control his wolf. He is a danger to himself and his friends- you. If we don’t help him, he could hurt you- hurt the people he loves. Scott’s like a brother now, pack is family, that makes us friends right?” The question sounded a bit desperate to his ears. Did he want them to be friends?

“No,” Stiles began making Derek’s heart and wolf twist in pain, “he’s m’ne- my b’ther. Not yours!” He leaned forward trying to wrestle Derek to the ground in a drunk fit, but he easily pushed him back into the chair, rolling it roughly into the desk.

The alpha in him roused again, wolf and man in agreement. “Scott is __our__ brother Stiles. Yours by right, mine by blood, wolf blood. Don’t fight with me on this, you will __lose.__ ” He growled feeling the rumble work up out of his chest. Shit, he was letting this kid push his buttons.

Even through the drunken glaze in his eyes he could see the intelligence fighting through the tangle of his system. His drugged brain was attempting to string words together and keep the fight going. “S’what you think. One word- my word- Scott’d listen to me.”

Derek stood up leaning forward to loom over Stiles. He gripped the chair tightly making sure it couldn’t move as he let his fangs drop and his face shift. “I’m an alpha- my word tops yours. You __will__ lose.” He threatened keeping his confusion to himself. How could his wolf be posturing his dominance all the while whining at the fact he was threatening the kid?

Stiles was drunk, he couldn’t be blamed for letting his guard down. But it wasn’t, it was just misdirected- or later that’s what he would tell himself. A leg shot up connecting with Derek’s crotch, the pain instantly making him snap up, his hands snapping to clutch his wounded dick and pride. Then he was attacked by a shrieking spider monkey, or at least that’s what Stiles came off as he took him to the ground with sheer force.

Even though he was in pain and simply doing his best to defend himself without hurting, or worse, scratching Stiles, he could smell him; fear, anger, raging madness, hatred warring with anguish. The cocktail of his scent was making him sick to his stomach. “Shut up. Shut up! Shut up,” Stiles ranted red faced as he pounded his fists against his crossed arms.

The door clicked open; Derek made quick work of turning his head and willing his features back to human. “Uh,” Scott’s familiar voice cut through Stiles attack stilling him instantly.

“Scott-s time to go.” Stiles growled crawling unceremoniously off Derek. Stiles knees carelessly digging into his body leaving more pain that faded away quickly. Rolling to face the door Derek felt the awkwardness hang in the air as the girl Scott was pulling into the room behind him eyed them all.

“Derek,” she said sweetly waving a hand at him.

“Allison…” He answered back carefully watching Stiles reaction to everything. Scott looked as though he had swallowed something sour as he looked them all over in confusion.

“Uh- you two know each other?” Scott finally offered up deciding apparently that ignoring Stiles was the way to go. Even though he didn’t know Stiles all that well, Derek knew that mistake as soon as the words rolled off Scott’s tongue. Stiles gave a strangled shout turning on unsteady legs to deliver one more kick to Derek. He didn’t shield it this time taking the hit straight to his stomach. Even as he uncurled he watched Stiles stagger to the door pushing his way pointedly between Allison and Scott. Who needed an alpha to get between best friends when there was already a girl there?

“We do…” Allison said softly glancing down the hallway, no doubt watching after to Stiles to make sure he was okay. “Don’t you think you should go after him?” She suggested to Scott pointing down the hall.

“I will, after you explain how you know Derek…” To his credit, Derek got up and dusted himself off as if he hadn’t just been letting himself get beaten up by a drunk teenager.

“I’m a peacekeeper.” “She’s a peacekeeper.” They said in unison, they looked at each other in silent communication. __Hurry this explanation up- we need to talk.__

The ‘joys’ of the Argents and the Hales being long time family ‘friends’. “The festival coming up,” he continued quickly, “is a mating ceremony. Humans in the know are present and for their own safety and the safety of the circles that don’t get along, peacekeepers are there. Usually either experienced humans or neutral circles fill the role. You won’t be attending, you’re too young, you have to know your skin before you can be expected to understand the signals it gives you.”

“Still doesn’t explain how you know each other, sounds kind of personal.” He could smell the jealousy coming off Scott. Fucking teenagers were going to make him lose his mind. Was this how his father felt? He vaguely remembered him always complaining of gray fur.

“He’s dating my aunt.” Allison sighed crossing her arms. “So are you going to go check on Stiles or not?”

“So you know about werewolves…” Scott said sounding every bit the wounded puppy his features had twisted into. Allison gave a slow nod and Derek rolled his eyes. He excused himself with a growl leaving the love birds to their bickering. He could still faintly smell Stiles in the air, following the trail quickly before anymore of the ever moving sea of bodies could cover it up. He found himself outside at the edge of the pool.  Stiles was sitting on the other side staring at him threateningly, legs crossed at the edge of the tiles as though the pool were enough to keep them separated.

“Derek what are you doing here?” Cora’s voice filtered through the mess of music and rambling of drunk lemmings. He kept his eyes on Stiles as a new person approached him, a handsome dark haired boy. He barely caught the guy’s name as Danny before Cora touched him getting most of his attention. “Uncle Peter told me to bring you home.”

Cora laughed as the boys’ conversation got quiet and close, their heads bowed together. His sister didn’t seem to care he wasn’t looking at her. “More like knew about the party and didn’t want me brought in with the others when the police eventually break it up. You know how he is. Image first, family second, standards somewhere in tenth.”

“Yeah, so- now that I’ve found you. Go home.” He muttered watching their hands come together, the new guy, Danny resting his head on Stiles’s shoulder clearly upset. He could feel Cora’s silent judgment as he watched Stiles turn his head close to this Danny whispering something he couldn’t catch over the racket of the party. There was a lazy nod before they kissed. It was a chaste thing, but good enough for him. Stiles was making more bad choices, doing weird things just because he was mad about Scott being a werewolf. Completely feeling Cora dissolve from his thoughts he stomped around the pool going so far as to knock some stupid fool into it who didn’t move out of the way fast enough.

“Derek,” Cora was shouting chasing after him. He could feel her attempting to radiate soothing calm from their pack bond trying to curb his alpha temper. He let his hot anger slap back through the bond turning a second corner closing the space between the startled Danny and Stiles. It was easy to catch both boys by the collars of their shirts as they attempted to scramble up and run away from him.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” He snapped pulling both of them back towards him, Stiles stumbling at the edge of the pool. His hand jerked to his neck, quickly attempting to give him the leverage to keep from falling in.

“Making out! What the hell is your problem?” Stiles barked stumbling against Danny. The raven haired boy was certainly good looking, but he smelled sad and annoyed with only the faintest tinge of arousal, which he could tell was fresh and directed at him.

“You are my,” The sound of sirens broke in the distance, but Derek heard something else as the shouts and screams of teens broke out. Lacing the air, loud and obvious, was a howl. People would easily dismiss the howl as a dog as a more pressing matter became their problem. But Derek wasn’t scared of cops, his eyes darted to the window of the room he thought Scott was in. The window was already sliding open, a half shifted Scott crawling out of it mindless and slipping easily across the roof and down the side of the house in the chaos.

“We gotta go,” Danny was shouting trying to pull himself free from Derek’s iron grip. Barely paying attention to them he snapped his hands open growling ‘Scott’ under his breath. He quickly peeled away from the group to snake his way with the crowd towards the exits. He needed to get clear of these humans and chase Scott down. There was no way he was letting a rogue corner Scott and claim him, or worse kill him. Not while he could do anything to stop it.

“Come on Stiles,” Cora’s voice filtered vaguely to his ears as he followed two bulky boys in Letterman jackets out a fence door. He easily ducked through the shrubs towards the treeline as the boys continued down the path to their freedom.

“What’s going on? Was that what I think it was?” Stiles was rambling just behind him. Why wasn’t he focusing, he should have all his attention on Scott! He didn’t need to be listening for Stiles, shouldn’t have to actually. The teen was quickly retreating into the carefully maintained woods between the houses after him, Cora following next to him. Seriously, the people who owned this house were human, why did they need so much acreage? And he should just be telling Cora and Stiles to stay put, but he knew his sister.

“Scott’s answering the call of his alpha. We have to stop him,” she explained quickly, he could hear their feet breaking away from the group, crossing the gravel under the shrubs mimicking his path. “The more the merrier, but you have to be careful.”

“Like hell I’m letting some psycho mutt with rabies convince him to the dark side,” Stiles snipped as the sound of him dialing on a cellphone clear over the shuffling of his feet in the underbrush. He and Cora were moving decidedly quieter as Stiles panted into his phone, “Alpha- the alpha is trying to take Scott, Dad you have to help.”

Derek wasn’t focusing enough to hear what the sheriff might be responding, but he almost laughed at what Stiles said next. “Yeah the party your boys in blue are crashing. No I wasn’t drink- no- okay- I’m sober I swear. I’m with Cora and Derek sorta… more like we’re following Derek. Yes he was there- Dad no- definitely wasn’t condoning it. Look serious, just come and help I have to go. I’m going to break my neck just trying to talk to you and follow.”

The sheriff’s agitated shout was cut off quickly, “Stiles go back-” The cellphone connection was cut and together they moved fast through the woods after Scott’s scent trail.

Finding the alpha growling menacingly over Scott wasn’t hard, he wasn’t even trying to hide. The fact that it was barely a clearing would make protecting Scott and fending off the rogue hard, but it was big enough. To say the fight that ensued was a joke was an understatement. For Derek’s part it had been a fair match, the alpha’s insanity making up for his lack of years of fighting under his belt. Cora fighting Scott had been a game of cat and mouse. Cora simply keeping him distracted and using him as a blunt object when Derek needed help. A fight they had been winning, until the alpha had put down Cora’s weapon of choice and then put her down just as quickly.

He had a side full of malformed claw attempting to rip out his precious internal organs, when Stiles had managed to show up stinking of fear and rage. The size of the boulder the pencil thin boy was wielding made Derek panic. Even as his mind wondered if Stiles was breaking his back, he was also afraid Stiles might trip and accidently kill him too. Turning over to avoid having his face smashed he hoped Stiles missed him. The rogue collapsed onto him dislocating his shoulder in the fall. The alpha hadn’t seen it coming, the rock caving in most of his head, but not enough to kill him, unfortunately. Sluggishly the werewolf staggered away, apparently there was still smarts enough in him to know when the tides had turned. Derek’s rag tag group of last minute fighters had made it by sheer dumb luck.

“How did you even lift that rock…” Derek huffed clutching at his bleeding side with his good arm forcing himself up to his knees.

“I’m on the lacrosse team, even if I sit on the bench.” He declared lifting up his shirt and patting his toned belly. “Also,” he laughed, “I lift with my knees.” Even as he carefully got up already feeling his body speeding up the knitting of flesh and sinew he saw Stiles visibly relax. The tension and stress of the fight finally oozing out of his body, with a sigh he declared, “thanks for protecting Scott.”

“Any time, he’s pack now. And…” He looked sheepishly at Cora and Scott prone bodies on the ground. They would be here a while yet unless Derek carried them both back home, and that he couldn’t risk being seen doing. “I’m sorry I threatened your friendship. You see why he has to stay with us now as much as possible right?”

“That thing just called and he came running like a baby duck.” Stiles frowned looking in the direction the rogue had fled.

“It won’t stop happening like that until we can train him to ignore it, or override it by proximity.” He offered up watching Stiles face go from contemplation to acceptance.

“Can I stay with your family tonight? I can’t let my Dad anywhere near me,” Stiles grumbled. Derek frowned wondering if this was some weird self-sacrificing behavior to keep his Dad safe. The sheriff knew and by knowing there was no way to keep him safe. Then he realized, Stiles’s Sheriff dad couldn’t get anywhere near him for a simple reason.

He had tuned out the smell of mixed alcohols on him, the strongest being a thick punch of tequila to his nose. More than wine then, certainly the fight had forced clarity to his mind and time had given him back a bit of control over himself, but he would still test over the limit. He was lucky he hadn’t just tripped and killed himself with the rock, no boulder, he had beaten the alpha over the head with.

Derek took one last look at the small clearing they were in. Cora and Scott were still quiet and sleeping off their injuries and Stiles was seeking shelter not for the fight, but for being drunk. He couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh.

-

The official first day of the festival was still weeks away but some creatures have more specific needs that others. The sirens started sing at the end of that week. Humans were no longer to be left alone without immune supernatural aid on the property. And being that Derek was the third alpha in line to be pack leader, all humans became his responsibility. It’s how he found himself with Stiles at the pizza joint to get an elephant’s weight in pizza.

It was also how he met the red headed girl he knew he would forever love to hate. She was meticulously dressed, and if he were younger- perhaps the kind of girl he would have dated. But he wasn’t a teen anymore, and he was dating a blonde with more attitude and confidence in her pinky finger than the red head before him that was ignoring Stiles.

He was chattering away excited at her about the sheer amount of pizza they were picking up. She seemed to not even be listening to him until one of the staff called out loudly, “Hale- Whose here to pick up for Hale?” He didn’t miss the way her eyes darted up to him and down to listen, putting all her focus on Stiles.

“They are already done with the pizzas?” Stiles piped up in shock. Derek shook his head and peeled away from the teens to head to the scuffed up counter and the bored looking attendant. He did make sure to listen and attempt to smell the pair of teens behind him while listening to the guy in front of him.

“Sir I know you called your order ahead with the proper time requested… but we’re running a little late. I just wanted you to know,” The guy rambled quickly worry laced in his voice. Probably worried Derek was going to chew him out, he was too distracted to really. Not that he entirely cared, the longer Stiles was out and about his in ‘natural’ habitat the more he could learn about him.

“You’re hanging out with a Hale?” Lydia, that’s what Stiles had called her, asked. He wanted to growl at how calculating that voice sounded. She was an ambitious viper, he could already tell without even catching her smell.

“Ah yeah- a couple of weeks now. Doing odd summer jobs to earn some money… they are pretty cool.” Stiles was radiating unbridled joy and excitement. He recalled Scott’s sad expressions when Stiles went on a Lydia praise marathon. So she was only giving him the time of day because he had something worth her time now? She hadn’t even really paid attention to him since Scott had become part of the in crowd.

“Bread sticks-,” he muttered realizing he wasn’t paying attention to the poor associate.

“Sir?”

“More bread sticks, three more orders and can I have extra garlic and ranch sauce? There are never enough when we order from here,” he hoped his voice didn’t sound as angry as he felt.

“I see. So you know Derek, do you speak to Cora?” The questions were probing he could hear it. As though she didn’t believe what she had heard.

“Lydia, I tutor Cora. I’m still trying to get her to remember Custard’s Last Stand was just what happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn not the name of the fight itself. She latches on to the weirdest things,” Stiles laughed just a hint of suspicion leeching into his scent. Sure he could think Lydia could do no wrong but he certainly wasn’t stupid, part of him cataloged these things.

Lydia laughed at that, an airy light laugh that sounded practiced to him. “Well if you need help tutoring her in math don’t hesitate to ask to me.” It sounded like a kind and benevolent offer, but Derek was ready to stomp back over there and interrupt them.

“Uh- okay, it will make your wait a bit longer. We are out of bread sticks that are ready, but I can do that.” Derek absently nodded at the guy, his eyes barely registering the thinly restrained rage of an under paid and over worked employee.

“Sorry, can’t share. I’m getting paid to do this. Gotta be an epic best bro, Scott’s birthday is around the corner.” Stiles sounded so proud of what he was doing. Toiling at odd jobs and tutoring Cora who was difficult at the best of times, all for the sake of Scott. A bit of jealousy flared up in Derek, which caught him by surprise. He was jealous, but certainly not in love with Stiles, and yet jealous. He pulled out his wallet quickly from his comforting leather jacket. Glancing down he rummaged through the bills looking for the one he wanted. Never let it be said that Derek wasn’t beyond a few dirty tricks if he thought they were harmless and suited him.

“That’s perfectly fine. Consider this a tip if you put a rush on the red heads order and don’t bother me and my friend again until the order is done,” he huffed out trying not to be heard by anyone else but the disgruntled worker who was dealing with him. The teen looked down at the crisp one hundred dollar bill only slightly creased by where it had been nestled in his wallet. The kid went bug eyed for a moment and rapidly his hand shot out snatching the bill away like magic. One moment it had been there the next his hand was in his pocket no bill to be seen.

“Sorry to have bothered you sir. I’ll get your order amended, I’ll call you again when it’s ready for payment and carry out,” The employee was all smiles now. Derek didn’t really care; the other part was what he wanted. Realizing that the teen was sticking strictly to his words he was properly ignored and the kid looked at the red head he was to distract. He gave a nod to himself, turning around to rummage at the orders. No one seemed to notice or care that the kid was magically assembling the Lydia’s order out of other orders.

Lydia was talking again, “You really are a sweetheart Stiles.” Fuck she was laying it on thick! He could smell her ambition, thick in the air, nasty smoke to his senses. She didn’t see Stiles, she saw a meal ticket to the Hale household. He turned away from the counter frowning at the sight of the girl, her hand gently patting Stiles’s shoulder. He was looking at her with a bright smile and a faint blush visible on his pale skin. He didn’t see red at that, but he knew that if he didn’t calm down he’d lose himself and attack the bitch touching what was his. That scent that belonged only to him!

“Martin!” The kid called out breaking Derek from his quickly boiling rage. He had been ignoring the possibility all this time, but why? Kate? But here it had only taken a two faced red head to make him acknowledge it. Not that he had planned to attend the mating ceremonies. But now he knew he’d never have to if he actually wanted to be happy. That smell that he couldn’t place, but left such an effect on him. That smell signaled to all his senses Stiles was his.

The girl frowned slightly reaffirming the pat, “You should bring me with you some time, Cora and I are sort of friends. I’d like to be more so, but you know social structure. Do me this favor and I’ll owe you one.” She walked away without so much as waiting to see if he’d agree. But Derek could see Stiles’s lust blown eyes and knew that if he did take up the offer, what he’d try to cash it in for.

His wallet was a heavy weight in his hands as he left the counter ignoring the girl as she walked by. She was already tuning him out as if she had never even noticed him. So she wasn’t going to play the ditzy accidental meeting? Was she really only interested in Cora? A girl with that much ambition didn’t seem to only take ‘small fry’ when there were whales in the house she could snatch.

He reached Stiles who was barely aware yet, his mind playing through all his possible trade ins. Pulling an empty palm up in his hand he did his best not to hang on. Dropping his wallet into the empty open palm with those long distracting fingers he did his best to flash Stiles a warm smile. He needed to be more charming, more attentive than that girl was and maybe he could win him over. Who was he kidding? Stiles was a teenager. Even if he was on his radar, that thing misfired all the time. Too young, too young, his wolf growled, “I’m going to get some fresh air, if they call our order pay for it. I’ll be right back.”

Trusting the employee to keep to his request he forced the glass door open and rushed out into the noisy air of the busy business mall. Stiles was simply too young to be a suitable mate for him. He wanted more stability than the fleeting affections of a teen, not even considering the laws that could keep him locked away forever. Knowing him more could help- but he was an adult, an experienced adult. Could he really wait long enough for Stiles to be available and hopefully more mature than he was now? The kind of compatibility of his smell was soul mate level. A silly wife’s tale, but still true enough to a point. They could be good together, great together. Then again he was already seeing someone.

“That should have been my first objection…” he muttered pacing away from the pizza joint just a bit, watching Stiles through the glass windows. He was thankfully still alone, but he was rummaging through Derek’s wallet! That little brat, he watched in stunned surprise as Stiles took something out of it and stuff it into his pocket looking around sheepishly. Not looking outside though, as if afraid someone inside would think he was stealing what Derek had freely given him. He’d have to catalog his wallet later to see what Stiles had taken.

Besides, Stiles was young, his scent could change… he could become unsuitable. No Derek couldn’t take the risk now- but he could leave himself open to at least enjoy companionship if that happened. He wouldn’t need a lover either way if he had Stiles with him, altered scent or not.

It gave him time to decide why he might take Stiles as his lover in the long run. He could keep a running tally of why a human could be worthy of a werewolf’s love. Not that he really had a problem with humans, but it was easier to live with a supernatural companion than a human who had to be pulled into the fold slowly one close family member at a time.

He smiled to himself determined to go back into the pizza joint.

__Pro 1: Stiles and immediate family_ _ __are_ _ __already in the know._ _


	5. Proof of Ownership

Derek knew he was a bit odd. How he had managed to bungle into most of the relationships he had had managed to have throughout his life. Paige had been a mess, she had dumped him when he had gotten too intense for her.  Falling in love hard and fast and dreaming of their forever before his senses and her hesitation could keep him from ruining it. And then there had been Kate, he had simply refused to see the warning signs, but that had been blatantly obvious in hind sight.

And yet here he was creeping in the worst possible way. It hadn’t been hard to convince Scott to invite Stiles over for a sleep over while Stiles father was pulling a full night shift. He’d have to find a way to bring up window locks and home safety to his friend without being obvious. Pushing that thought away he looked around the room inhaling that wonderful scent in.

The room was permeated with all that had been and was Stiles. His very scent profile melted into the things and walls in fine layers. Recently chewed pencils were on his desk next to a well-worn and aged notebook with curled pages. Crossing the room in silence he peaked at the hastily scribbled notes in the open book smirking at a list. “Always eager to learn,” he said to the empty room eyeing the various false werewolf lore notes scratched out.

He felt his face heat up at the sight of ‘ _ _knots???’__  in excited scribble in the sexual category. Maybe he’d have to get his father to sit down and have the werewolf talk with Stiles if he was that interested. He knew he himself wouldn’t make it out of that conversation with his dignity and pride intact.

He took another deep breath trying to find what he was looking for. It really should stand out in a room coated in the scent of Stiles. Unless Stiles handled it enough to hide it or knew to at least zip lock bag anything that wasn’t distinctly his scent. He circled the room several times just taking in the information Stiles’s possessions gave him while he sniffed.

He frowned when he finally noticed the trace scents. Two shoe boxes under his bed. He fully expected sex toys and dirty secrets, but they were largely innocent. The first shoe box was scarcely filled. There were newspaper clippings of Lydia and a few random things that made no sense to him. He was sure a dried up chap stick tube meant more to Stiles that it did to him, and only half in the mindset of a teenage boy he didn’t think too hard on it.  

The second box made him smile. Lifting the cover up he saw things he knew well. There was a receipt that Stiles had no doubt stolen from his wallet, a little note written to himself on the back. He smirked at well-worn pieces of paper with shopping lists and idea notes that he had thought he had simply thrown away. He blinked at the bent trowel he had told Stiles to dispose of from the green house. All of these things held meaning to Stiles in connection to him.

Deciding he had snooped enough he recovered the boxes and put them back where they belonged with a smile. Leaving the room through the window he felt his smile break into a grin as he snuck away. His box was far fuller than Lydia’s and he had known Stiles for less time.

He knew and smelled that Stiles liked him, intensely. But to see that he liked and wanted him enough that any scrap of him he could hold on to mattered to him? It made him trip as he walked home across the sidewalk at the thought.

-

“Hey I make a mean veggie burger, now step away from the grill,” Stiles threatened waving tongs at Derek. That silver tongue Stiles used had gotten him at the grill making burgers for those poor souls willing to try his crazy healthy burgers; on a werewolf’s grill no less. Derek simply raised his hands in defeat making as if to step back. He waited for Stiles to relax giving him a bright smile, “that’s right sourwolf just because you want it bleeding and still mooing doesn’t mean the rest of us can eat it that way. Some of the selkies wanted me to make them kelp burgers- now __that’s__  ew.”

Stiles returned his attention to the grill. Which was the opening Derek wanted, he closed the distance between them snatching the tongs from Stiles grip with a deep ‘a-hah’! “I have saved us from your veggie burgers. Your father will thank me!” The fight began in mock anger. Stiles picked up the spatula waving it at Derek in retaliation. Together they mock fought at the grill grinning at each other with joy.

Stiles made him feel like a teenager again. Not that it had been that long, but still, the flirting was wonderful. Worth the tempest that had been Kate when he had dumped her. Even if he wasn’t going to get biblical with Stiles any time soon, he could at least tease and taunt him without guilt now. And- if he was honest with himself, when he knew they wouldn’t get caught- he gave in.

Just last night before the final official night of the festival they had been groping in his greenhouse. That place was doubly a happy place for him now. He had a sneaking suspicion his family was letting him get away with it because they seemed to know Stiles was nearly a flawless match for him. A match in the same way that the person who was immune to a siren’s song, or the person at the end of a druid’s bonding quest was.

Even now as he tried to pinch Stiles with the tongs he could vaguely hear another successful finding, a satyr professing his undying faithfulness to some poor peacekeeper in a voice that held no lie. The woman clearly sounded unconvinced, but that was how it tended to work with the humans. They didn’t have heightened instincts like the rest of them. But he knew that satyr would move heaven and earth to prove it to her. Just like he would wait for Stiles to be sure he wasn’t wrecking the poor boy’s life by rushing in. He tuned the satyr out as he began gibbering about the sonnets he would compose to her beauty.

With a well-executed twist of his wrist Stiles was disarmed, spatula falling to the deck. Derek chuckled reaching for one of the burgers slowly cooking on the grill. “I’m going to save your father from your obsessive meal planning!” He waved the tongs triumphantly in the air, striking an odd victory pose when he heard it.

He could feel everyone who was hyper aware snap to attention. Vampires were hissing, banshees were inhaling to scream, every wolf was scanning the area. “Rogue.” A peacekeeper hissed in tune with the mood of those around him.

“A damn insane rogue.” Another snapped in anger cocking a gun.

“In the middle of the grill out! You better believe that thing is feral. Why now?” Another cautious voice snipped.

All the wolves knew why. A pack less alpha biting anything and anyone that could stabilize him, seeking any beta to put his need for pack to rest, was not thinking clearly. The longer without the pack the madder the poor soul got. Not to mention, however he had lost his first pack surely had only started that insanity.

“Peacefuls and pacifists please leave the area with me.” A druid peacekeeper called out. Derek was already looking into the crowd seeing sparks fly as warning. He could see those that had paired off taking defensive positions in front of their partners. Stiles had shuffled away towards Scott who had been watching their flirting with curious eyes from the condiments table.

He supposed the only reason they hadn’t been attacked first was their separation from the group. The alpha even in its feral nature was smart. While the mingling crowd was large and could take him easily, they were mixed. There were creatures that didn’t fight by nature weaving through the crowd to get to the edge. Creatures that were lethal to each other that would have to watch what they did and when they attacked. And of course, there were more humans to bite in the crowd than on the deck. The damn alpha gave only a short warning huff before launching himself off the roof like a bullet crashing into the closest knot of people.

Derek saw a selkie screaming under the alpha’s bite even as she attempted to wrap herself in her skin to escape. The attempt was pointless, there was no way she could completely wrap herself in her skin with only one arm as the alpha attempted to tear off the other. Her kelpie friend only looked human, but was easily seen for the monstrous malformed creature she was. She turned away from the alpha even as a horse’s rump and hind legs made her skirt flare out and up in mid-transformation. Her human legs snapping under the force of her jack kicking the alpha away from her friend. Nothing a little shape changing wouldn’t fix for her, as her selkie friend finally shape shifted bleeding and crying to scramble up and into her skirt to hide on her ever changing form.

Derek dropped the tongs and took one pained look at Stiles.  He could leave him with Scott, it was dangerous sure, Scott still wasn’t immune to the alpha’s command. But the alpha was clearly focused on attacking than regrouping. “Stay here.” He snapped to both of them easily crossing the deck, he leapt over the railing with ease making chase, watching the crowd closing in on the alpha all trying to take him down at once.

A poor blonde banshee was throw into the air before she could scream, the alpha running through her  without a care. He saw the satyr’s girl, a mousy looking peacekeeper armed to manage more pacifistic creatures with bad habits. Before Derek could even shout at her to run he saw the alpha bite down. If she didn’t die her life would be changed forever.

She was shrieking as she unloaded her entire clip of rubber rounds into the alpha’s head, it’s jaws attempting to server her lower left leg at the knee. Her satyr, to his credit, attempted to kick just as the kelpie had. He was only a distraction, maybe leaving the alpha with a broken rib if he was lucky. He was caught by his leg and thrown into the oncoming assault. He took three people down with him. The peacekeeper girl crumpled to the ground gun forgotten, the alpha charging on to a suddenly more interesting target.

Dashing passed the selkie and kelpie he did his best not to even look at the fallen peacekeeper. She wasn’t dead, and they would help her when they could. Besides, as cruel as the thought was, she was screaming out her pain, therefore, she was alive. The alpha launched himself onto a nymph that exploded into a flurry of flowers as she hit the ground. Other nymph seemed to take the cue from the first, trees and flower beds sprouting in the chaos for safety. A terrified peacekeeper fired into the crowd clipping several supernatural beings and a few poor wolves that dropped to the floor and waited in rage and pain. Derek could feel that he had been grazed too. A burning in his side, but not so much that it could kill him, just that it time he would be in trouble. That peacekeeper was clearly green from head to toe, perhaps his first festival? Not that it mattered, he wouldn’t rest until he knew Stiles was safe.

A girl stepped from a group her body shifting. To his vision Kate stood before the alpha as it snapped claws around her hips lifting her into the air. The girl laughed tilting her head back as she seemed to slip out of the alpha’s grip. It was focused on her as she giggled again, her body exploding into water as he cut her in half. In a moment she was a whole version of Kate again, smaller as though she had lost part of herself, yet unharmed. So she was not immune, but certainly a fair match to stand her ground.

Derek launched himself into the air crashing into the alpha’s back. His beta claws dug into fur and he saw out of the corner of his eyes his mother, full shifted digging her jaws into a clawed paw. Laura let out a wild mad scream to his left, even as he turned to look he pulled his hands down and deep. Ripping open a thick coat and getting his claws stuck on bone and deep tissue he grinned. There was a loud snap as Laura twisted the alpha’s other arm in an unnatural direction her face twisted in beta form rage. Her face got longer as she lost the fight to stay vaguely human.

The alpha hurled all of them easily around. Laura who hadn’t had a good deep grip toppled over as the alpha changed directions. “You won’t win this fight,” Derek growled feeling his fingers protest to the alpha’s constant push only helped by momentum. Maybe there was enough brain left in there to stop, but he doubted it. It couldn’t hurt to try either way.

“Hey you stupid fucking dog- you missed one. Can’t even eat these chicken legs can you?” Stiles stupid voice hollered through the chaos. The alpha let out a roar leaning back on it’s hind legs. Derek finally fell off, he was sure with a few broken fingers and the wolfbane poison infecting his rate of healing. Eyes up to the setting sky he saw his mother’s wolfish form fly through the sky.

He could hear new screaming joining the rest as the alpha charged off again, this time in chase.

“Yeah I’m talking to you, you stupid mutt!” Stiles egged the feral beast on.

He shook off his pain and confusion. Stiles was goading the alpha on! His stupid wanna-be boyfriend trying to get himself killed.

“Now!” Someone shouted. A gun fired filling the air with such a loud explosion to his sensitive ears trailing moments behind. He shook his head trying to clear it from the impact of the fall. His body was aching and his fingers were already popping back into place as he clawed into the ground to push himself up. He looked at the path of fallen people in pain, injured but alive, beings that looked more than worse for wear. At the end of the trail, surrounded by charred earth and bits of flaming debris the alpha lay, smoke rising off what fur hadn’t been burned away.

His eyes instinctively seeking out where Stiles might be, he saw his friend grinning triumphantly on the patio. Bits of shrapnel dug into the wooden railing, how had he not been hit? Where was the grill? Had he had used the grill as a weapon? How had he managed that? His human friend had perhaps with help at least incapacitated an alpha; he could already see the more meat loving members of the party inching closer. He could even see Scott launching himself over the patio just as he had done. He was going straight for the alpha with rage on his face, his intention the most obvious move that Derek should have seen coming. Too bad for McCall the myth was just that.

He could see young Allison Argent standing in the open doorway to the house from the deck. She was admiring her handy work and checking her smoking gun expertly before holstering it. On the wind he didn’t miss the soft whisper and saw that predatory smile she gave, “At least this way we don’t have to worry about staging the body…”

__Con 10: Stiles could kill for Scott… and Scott in general. (Perhaps kill_ _ __for_ _ __those he is loyal too…? Good pack trait…)_ _

__Pro 42: Stiles might kill to protect the pack._ _


	6. Ring of Fire

Stiles was dizzy with the attention.  Derek was undulating on top of him in a very close imitation of sex. Sex on a table, fully dressed sex on a table, fully dressed sex on a dirty as fuck greenhouse table; he could feel the dirt slipping into his running shorts. He just didn’t care to even make a point of it. Only to keep kissing Derek using his arms and legs to keep his not boyfriend close. It wasn’t often he had him this weak of will. He knew at some point Derek would come to his senses and he wouldn’t feel that jean clad erection pushing against his own erection.

“God baby- I want to wreck you,” Derek groaned pressing sloppy kisses to his chin, nipping between each kiss with slightly sharper than normal teeth. He didn’t interrupt him when he was like this. He loved Derek’s dirty promises of all the things they would get up to when he was eighteen. His birthday was going to have the best kind of fireworks. Derek had promised him he was see __stars__.

“If I knew you liked the short shorts this much-,” he panted trying to find the hem of Derek’s shirt to get rid of it. There were disadvantages to a horny solid not-boyfriend grinding into him. He just couldn’t seem to get his hands to find the right spot and he just didn’t have the sick werewolf strength to tear those clothes apart. He shivered hearing the familiar sound of Derek’s claws gouging marks into the table making he gasped in delight, “I’d come visit you from practice like this more.”  

The only reason he was still in his track outfit was because the school had had a damn leak in the pipes and had to have the water turned off after hours. The effect was worth the disgust at driving in his own smelly funk. He wasn’t sure he could survive dating Derek, but at least he’d die happy?

Derek didn’t even seem to hear him as he nipped and kissed at his neck with all the aggression of a hungry wolf. He’d probably be dead if Derek wasn’t so in control of himself. “Can’t wait until your birthday, I want to unwrap you like you’re my present,” his hot breath and desperate lips were brushing against his ear now, “I dream about you choking on my dick. Don’t you?”

Stiles didn’t have finesse. Not in the least bit, that agility he had during his track practices only lasted on the track. And Derek didn’t seem to care how clumsy he was as he tried to wiggle free from under him enough to wrap his legs properly around those solid hips.

“Everything,” He gasped out of a suddenly far too dry mouth, “dream about it all. Sucking you, you sucking me, finger fucking me, fucking me- fucking you.” He knew he was red to his ears. He still wasn’t as smooth with the dirty talk as Derek seemed to be. And responding to his talk was hard and awkward, but Derek seemed to roll with it. Most of the time.

“I don’t think so.” Derek pulled away hands pressing suddenly to Stiles chest as he tried to close the space between them again. “I’m the alpha babe, if anyone is fucking me, I’ll still be the one putting anyone’s dick anywhere.”

Stiles leered at that. So it wasn’t a no. He might get to feel what it was like to be buried in that fine ass. So what if Derek was a power bottom when he decided to bottom at all? Stiles could work with that. He’s make a can of Crisco and a bed of concrete work if it meant getting to fuck Derek.

His hands were free to slip into his waist band urging his shorts down. Instantly he knew it was the wrong thing to do as Derek stiffened. “We’re done.” He said before Stiles could even back paddle. Damn his hormones and wants. He was always pushing and trying for more, always pushing Derek to his limit and making things weird. “Go inside and take a shower, get cleaned up. Change if you have clothes, if you don’t, I think I have sweat pants that will work for you. Mom said she wanted you to make dinner tonight.”

He hated how Derek could turn it off. Talk to him like they just hadn’t been making out on the verge of sex, like he wasn’t sporting a boner and thinking about him.

Shame and hurt laced through him, killing his stiff dick faster than thoughts of old ladies could. Feeling tears threaten to blind him, he slapped Derek’s hands away and got up off the table. Rage bubbled up easily willing himself not to feel useless. Rage unhinged his mouth and made him speak, “You know- I’m seriously considering taking up Danny’s offer of a revenge fuck next time his boyfriend decides their off again.”

“Least Danny wouldn’t go to jail for it.” Derek snapped back. He didn’t turn to look at him as he tried to gather himself and walk away. He wanted to run away, or punch him, but neither option was good with a moody werewolf and him unbalanced enough to get in serious trouble.

“You don’t say,” he said as if that was a revelation enough to commit him to the act. Derek didn’t follow up to that. He didn’t say anything as Stiles crossed the greenhouse putting space between them easily. He put space between them as easily as Derek could in the middle of passion. He’d do as he was told knowing it would smooth things over for them later. But Derek hadn’t told him anything about staying for dinner. So cook he would, but he would be sure to have his to go boxes ready so he could make a hasty retreat. He didn’t want to look at Derek’s stupid face any more than he had to tonight.

-

Stiles was getting closer to his goal. Well really he had plenty of goals, but his biggest one was getting Derek to commit. He knew he had little to no chance before he was eighteen. However, as evil as the thought was he knew that if he could get Derek to screw him, he’d have him. Like a determined girl getting knocked up just to get married. He wanted in his not boyfriend’s pants so bad it hurt. He felt like he and Derek were meant to be! Why was Derek being such a boy scout about what they had?

Didn’t he see how his very presence had enriched his life? Not just in how he needed and wanted him but in the rest of his life too! Scott was part of the lacrosse team now and friends with Derek’s small pack of two, and even had made his own tiny pack of himself and Isaac. Stiles seemed to be a part of all of them at once without being truly part of any officially. Because of this he had more friends than he had ever had now! Even if Erica always looked at him like she was going to eat him. And Boyd, well he looked at him like murder because of Erica’s games but they were still friends. He was also the friendly human to all the Hale alphas.

There were also the perks of being friends with Cora even if she always threatened to use cheer leading moves on him in a lethal way. He was now kind of popular and on Derek’s urging part of the track team. He was sure it had just started as a way to encourage Stiles. His favorite human, to stop permanently warming the lacrosse bench, and also probably to get him as naked as he could manage legally. Lydia argued with him now, he still loved her sure, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Derek anymore. She couldn’t see past Jackson and Derek actually praised him for his accomplishments. There simply wasn’t a quicker way to his heart than actually acknowledging him!

So towards his goals he went as he lived through another torturous year of school. One foot after the other, chasing Grandpa Hale to work on his endurance under the light of a half moon. They were also working on his vision and awareness in the forest at night. They did it with all the human members of the family so they could at least half run with the wolves on full moons. It also doubled as track training, his goal was to be the best on the team. Scott had this silly idea they should both be team captains by the time they graduated. And what Scott wanted, Stiles did his best to make happen. Something Derek was still cranky about, but he was getting his own Stiles perks! He really had nothing to complain about, he was the one that had a free pass to his ass and wasn’t taking it.

He frowned when Jeremiah let out a pained howl and pushed himself faster than Stiles could reasonably keep up with long term. He was also changing their planned path! Frowning after him Stiles followed trying to keep his breathing even and measured like he was trained. He had to keep up to figure out what was up with him.

They apparently weren’t as far out as he had guessed when he saw the orange glow lighting up the forest. He could smell smoke faintly on the air and he felt terror creeping in on his curiosity. How big did a fire have to be to get his attention from here? Sure the trees had covered his vision of the pluming smoke, which he was just now starting to see, but what could be on fire? He knew! He told himself not to think about it. He snapped that knowledge away into a box pushing it away from aware thought so he could function. Panic did nothing to help a situation.

“Got your back gramps,” Stiles hissed between gasps as they broke into the clearing of the Hale house. He saw in horror as a figure charged out the front door. They’d be fine, good. However, the sharp bang of a gun going off sent the figure tumbling forward off the porch and down the stairs. He screamed in shock for a moment not even sure who had been gunned down, he prayed one of the werewolves. The figure still carried by momentum stopped suddenly, unnaturally as though hitting an invisible wall. “Mountain ash gramps you can’t do anything,” Stiles growled looking around. Who had done this?

Instantly he was turning his head left and right looking for the gunman. There on the driveway, sitting casually on the hood of Derek’s parked Camaro was Kate. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!” He shouted as he did his best to close the distance as fast as he could. Jeremiah slowed to trot beside him cautiously.

She turned the gun on him her eyes still watching the house. “Breaking your heart I think,” she was casual about the moment. As though burning a house down with an entire family, clan,  _ _pack__ was normal. With nothing else to do in the face of distance and her being armed he stopped, eyes looking at the burning house in despair.

“Why? What does killing the entire Hale pack have to do with me?” He spat seeing black silhouettes streaking across the window clearly looking for ways out. Kate swung the gun effortlessly and fired at the window he had eyed. Glass shattered and he could hear a woman scream unable to place who the voice belonged to. A child’s wail joined the scream as the roar of the fire doubled.

Jeremiah was human now by his side whispering, “I know you’re not trained well yet- but surely Deaton’s taught you enough… save my family- save our pack.” The old man begged in a voice Stiles could barely hear over the fire. Probably so Kate couldn’t hear at all.  

“You took my life plan from me kid. Derek was Daddy’s fall back plan if things went sour and what do you know they did,” She swung the gun back at him eyes still poised on the building looking for more people to shoot. More screams and shouts began to join the first one. Their pained words swallowed in the blaze, but he had no doubt of what they might be saying to each other. Planning, searching, they had to be screaming to each other ways to escape or to get to safety. “Don’t worry though. Old man there and Mayor Hale are still safe- can’t kill them all. Gotta leave a few studs to repopulate the pack. Don’t worry I’ll take the old one, don’t want the fame that comes with being the second wife to the mayor.” What the hell was she going on about?

Jeremiah spat at the ground snarling, “like hell I’ll dishonor my wedding vows to Bridget.”

Stiles didn’t even see the gun move when the shot rang out this time. He gave a panicked shout as Jeremiah dropped to the ground on one knee clutching his side. “Don’t think you have much of a choice old man. Getting too old soon to even get a young lady like myself pregnant. Take the offer or leave it. At least if you marry me and turn who I want you to turn I can assure you they won’t try to kill you to be alpha.” Ah, so that was the point. Stiles was mad because Jeremiah was right, he should risk it. Untrained spark or not, neither of them could beat Kate where they stood. Not without some magical help. He hoped he didn’t really hurt anyone else in the process.

He eyed Kate again seeing the silver flash of metal reflecting in the fire light at her stomach. She had a second gun poised at both of them now. Trust an Argent to be a damn good shot even just looking out of the corner of her eye. He couldn’t use flashy dramatics, she’d see it. Instead he focused keeping his face full of his rage and his focus all on his second sight. Eyes locked on her, he turned his second sight towards the fire. His vision with this sight was hazy, he wasn’t trained to properly use it. The fire should have been clear to his magic eye and easy to pick apart, but it couldn’t be as untrained he was. All he could do was manipulate it, not unravel it.

So with a careful flicked finger for guidance he pulled on the fire at its strongest point. The untouched second front door exploded forward as a snake like pillar of fire channeled out of the house. He prayed no one was in the main foyer, and that the poor unconscious Hale at the edge of the barrier wasn’t getting cooked as he pulled the fire out between himself and Kate. She couldn’t shoot what she couldn’t see, and if he was lucky the fire would fizzle out without fuel if he kept it pulled away from a source long enough.

Sweat broke out on his skin more from the effort more than the growing heat. He definitely wasn’t ready for this kind of magic, but he was the only one who could do something! Safe from gun fire for the moment he slung his arms out for more guidance. Pulling as much of the fuzzy fire as he could manage with his vision and attention. There was so much with such a big house he was sure he couldn’t get it all. As it was he was barely containing the low spiral out in the lawn as a defense. No reason to make a huge pillar of fire and let the entirety of Beacon Hills know about the super natural.

Jeremiah was back on his feet, patting Stiles’s back gently as he stood up next to him again. “She’s coming.” He whispered softly. Clearly trying not to disturb him as he drew the fire out, the second floor was safe for now. If he could finish drawing out the root of the fire on the first floor then everything would be okay. But it wasn’t, he already knew it. He could feel the fire fraying at the edge of his mind. He was trying to control that which was chaos, he simply wasn’t strong enough. Sure he was drawing it out, but the edges of its heat and the tendrils licking at the edge of his magic vision were touching him, consuming him.

Kate ran around the fire shield waving both guns in rage. Fire flared from the tip of the barrels, he pulled them in excitement feeling the small ignition flare grow. Unnaturally the flash grew chasing after the energy of the bullet and consuming it, turning the slugs into slag and even burning that away as he amplified fire taking it into the whole that was eating him alive.

Kate dropped that gun with a shriek waving her burned hand. The tendrils were touching something inside him now, something he didn’t even really grasp yet but he knew that it was part of him. The fire was feeding him now, more power to his center, “more,” he snarled turning his arms in her direction. The shield swung behind her, more and more until they were encircled in the fire. Encircled in him and his power as he dared her to attack again, “come now.”  

She fired ruthlessly aiming for him with her other gun. He broke off parts of himself from the enclosed circle easily burning the bullets out of the air. Drawing the last of the fire from the house to himself he smirked taunting her, “you.” He couldn’t string words together anymore. He was sure of that. He couldn’t even yoda his way through this confusion as the fire burned. He was being made more by the fire and by association making the fire more. They could feed each other to greatness so long as there was air! All he could see was black shapes, Jeremiah to his right and Kate before him a wild shape, her voice frantic and cracked.

“You’re a spark? He left me for another freak? I was perfect! He shouldn’t have wanted to leave me.” She was firing the empty gun at him. Clicks filling the air and she closed the space between them. She dropped the gun as a hand closed around Stiles’s shirt. Jeremiah growled warningly but said nothing.

“Take,” Stiles slurred feeling his body growing weak. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t control this. It was controlling him, that he knew as he simply stood there arms outstretched around Kate. She raised her empty fist in the air probably to strike him, he wasn’t sure.

A howl broke through the roar of fire. He didn’t know who it belonged to, only that it was a pained cry. One of his pack was heartbroken and he had to help them. He closed his arms around Kate shouting into her neck, “take it.” He pushed all of the burn and pain into her hating what he knew was happening. She let out a scream but he didn’t stop. The fire rushed in to fill the hold it had lost on him and he continued to push it. A magical burn consuming them both as he tried to burn off the fire into magic and push it into her. He knew that fire wouldn’t take this betrayal laying down, knew it as surely as it turned in on him and rushed through him in rage. It was trying to burn him away before he could burn it off.

Hollowness filled him as he used up the fire, what was the point of living now that he was so empty? It was all in her now. An eternally burning magical fire trapped in a tiny mortal container, no less than she deserved. Jeremiah caught him as Kate fell back trying to drag him with her. He hung limp in the old man’s arms watching the blonde stare up at the sky her mouth open in a wordless scream. “Bitch,” he sighed feeling himself beginning to black out.

__Pro 83: Stiles isn’t a killer._ _

__Con 20: Stiles didn’t save everyone._ _


	7. Shadow of Death

Scott knew he could pin point the moment his pack started to fall apart. It’s not hard really. He had been there that night, helping loot the Hale house of everything that was irreplaceable. The pack had taken pictures, one of a kind mementos, photo albums, baby clothes, anything that could be hastily stuffed into boxes and shoved into the storage barns at the edge of the house clearing. Anything that could be lost was lost as they burned the house over again. They couldn’t explain what Stiles magic had done, so they had simply opted to finish what had been meant to play out. The lengths they would go to keep their secret from the general population. It made him sad that they had to.

What couldn’t be recovered or saved were the three bodies covered in slightly charred sheets laying out on the lawn. The pack members that had been lost before Stiles could save them. Laura, James, and Connie had been lost. An alpha, a beta, and a small human girl left such a rift in the pack that their foundations were crumbling. Sure Jeremiah and Talia were holding strong, the two oldest alpha keeping things together the best they could. While the third was on a war path breaking what little had been left whole.

Scott hated him.

How could he bring that bitch home to the pack? This Jennifer Blake came pleading for sanctuary from an abusive alpha, taking up the last of the Hale’s precious space in the spare cabin in the woods. She was great at filling up space, taking a tiny foot hold in a crack and pushing through it until there was a gaping wound she could fill up comfortably. Making what was a tense situation, an uncomfortable elephant in the room no one wanted to address.

She was taking up the spot that belong to Stiles. Just another piece of broken glass that had been his perfect life, he had already lost Allison because of her crazy Aunt. And it was clear to him even in his grief that Stiles was broken by whatever he had done. Deaton had even warned him to keep an eye on Stiles and fire sources, something about pyromania? He had to remember to look that up later. Derek had been too busy grieving to take care of Stiles, it was fine. Scott could do it, he had liked Laura too, but they hadn’t been family.

Just that, well Scott kind of sucked at taking care of Stiles. Even when things were good and they had both been normal humans, he could barely contain Stiles. How was he supposed to keep tabs on a magic user who was great at sneaking out. He wasn’t a fool, Stiles could be as sly as a fox when he wanted to be, his skills making it easy to hide himself from superior werewolf senses. There was no way Scott could keep him from dancing with fire.

Which is how he found himself merely making sure Stiles was texting him back at least once an hour while he was hanging out at the overcrowded Hale cabin, seeking comfort in pack. An Argent peacekeeper was there, not Allison. Why he didn’t know or care why, he just knew he needed to be with pack. It made the ache that was the Allison shaped hole in his heart stop hurting even for just a bit.

The conversation that everyone had been doing their best to ignore suddenly turned into a shouting match. “We’ve protected your family for generations!”

“You caused the death of my daughter for your own ends! Like hell I’ll give you the bite.” Talia was snarling through the closed door loud enough for even Jennifer’s human ears to hear if her sudden tension was anything to go by.

“What my daughter did is not my fault.” Gerard bickered back.

“You are the head of your house, you are held responsible for what __every__ Argent Peacekeeper does. I am owed one more penance.” Scott didn’t know what she was talking about. He was still studying all the ‘wolf stuff’ on the side, but it didn’t sound good.

“You can’t be serious. My daughter is in a lifelong coma from what your want-to-be emissary did! Her constant mental torture is penance enough!” Gerard was yelling at their alpha now. Their head alpha, no one yelled at the head alpha. No one even tried, at least not anyone outside of the pack. 

“What- what is that sink…” The whisper was a surprise after all the shouting, “you’re dying. You want the bite because you are dying. How dare you- it was planned wasn’t it. Kate dating my son- how dare you.”

“I’m perfectly fine I don’t know what you are talking about.” The growl ripping through the room so loudly stunned everyone. All heads turned to the single bedroom door in surprise. With his acute hearing he knew that Talia was changing even as she shrieked.

“Connie is dead because your crazy bitch of a daughter lost your fall back plan. I’ll take the years you stole from pack- our Connie- Laura, my daughter- rrrrrrrr,” the words vibrated into an angry growl. There was a crashing and thump, Gerard’s horrified shouts filling the still air.

No one spoke as his screams fell to whimpers, and whimpers gave way to wet chewing sounds.

Jennifer’s cheerful voice was the first to break the silence. “Well at least I know I’ll be protected.” Derek gave a warm laugh and Scott knew things would only get worse.

__Con 36: Stiles is needy._ _

__Pro 16: Jennifer smells good._ _


	8. Sly as a Fox

Stiles knows things are wrong as he taps his fingers on his steering wheel. He could go see Scott, or just drive around beacon hills because suddenly he is alone. He can see it in how Scott picks pack over him to cure his ex-girlfriend woes. Or maybe it’s that Allison found a more stable and clear headed boyfriend in Issac and feels more secure in herself because of it. Who the hell even cares? Allison did what she needed to to cope with her grief. Scott was just a whiny pup trying to win back her love.

Jennifer WAS taken care of! Even if he couldn’t find anyone to hang out and burn things with him he at least had that bright nugget for him these days.

Stiles rubs at his face feeling off. That isn’t a relief and yet it is? Jennifer is what? Dead? Maybe he’s not sure, things seem a bit confusing. He’s at the Hale cabin staring at the front door. Where had he been before? Irrelevant. Everything was fucking irrelevant, his not boyfriend Derek had fucked her. He had fucked that stupid bitch even though he had been so intent on being with him. Talking of their future and promises of the things they would do and be to each other when he turned eighteen. It had been worth seeing Jennifer’s glassy eyed death stare as he dumped dirt on her face.

Was it really that hard for him to keep it in his pants? Stiles was a teenager and did just fine with his right hand to stay faithful to Derek. Wolves were loyal, he knew that was an important trait in a wolf’s lover.

“I know right? They’ll never find the body. It was crazy, she even offered some to Jeremiah … and Derek. Alpha rights or something, it was gross, but I think they all ate him.” Scott rambled on chewing on a piece of buttered toast. Stiles looked down at his hands smearing some butter on his own piece of toast. Why wasn’t he using a butter knife? It seemed a waste of a good clean carving knife, and some kind of compensation tactic if he was willing to crack a joke. A big damn carving knife for a plastic knife kind of job.

Jennifer’s body was buried at the base of the Nemeton. A tribute to the tree to restore the balance her actions had disrupted. Stiles blinked at that as he looked around at the tree. Where had Scott gone? “What is it that you need me to see man?” Oh right, behind him, it was okay. It was kind of pathetic he couldn’t even be dumped for a hot piece of legal ass. He hadn’t actually been dating Derek so there was no breaking up to be had. Technically Derek wasn’t in the wrong he supposed, but they had been everything but dating so maybe not?

Just like him to fall short. Just like everything else. Only half the normal amount of parents, a self-centered best friend, crushes who didn’t even give him the time of day now, and cursed! Cursed? Oh right, he had played with fire and now was far too friendly with it. He had damaged the balance in himself, water based spells and ceremonies shied away from him now. Deaton had said it would take years to correct the damage he had done to himself to save the pack. Not his pack, not anymore, not even really in Scott’s pack.

“I’ll have to deal with you, too much rage. Hard to control this one! Dealt with the bitch, time to deal with the troublesome stud. Then he’ll be mine.” Stiles snarled pinning Scott to the tree. He shook his head for a moment confused. Looking down he saw his hands wrapped around the handle of the knife buried in his best friend’s stomach.

“Stiles, Stiles stop it!” Scott begged blood dribbling out of his mouth as he fought the pain.

“Harder to kill weres, but possible, would be easier in a stronger body.” Stiles felt like his eyes were rolling back into his head, but he knew they weren’t. He could see what he was doing. This was as painful as watching awkward sitcom moments, wanting to stop and change the channel, but unable to.

Arms were around him, squeezing the life out of him, pinning his arms to his sides. ‘Thank you!’ he wanted to scream as Scott was saved from his attack, but he couldn’t. His head twisted with a dark smirk frozen on his lips as he looked at Derek. So close he could see the rage filling those blood tinted alpha eyes. “Don’t blame me, he started it,” his voice urged on casually.

“He’s lost it! I told you he couldn’t take you dating Jennifer. You broke him!” Scott spat, Stiles could hear him digging the knife out of his body and dropping it to the ground. Sure he was fine, but it still hurt that he had done that to him. He could see the ghosts of trembling that Scott was trying to suppress.

“Scott shut up,” Derek snapped shaking Stiles threateningly, “why the hell are you trying to kill Scott?”

“I was putting him out of his misery. Allison this and Allison that- he’s lucky she hasn’t put out a restraining order out on him. He’s getting damn near stalkerish.” He was laughing? Laughing at Scott’s pain! This wasn’t right at all, what the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he control his mouth? He saw the almost forgotten way Derek flared his nose to smell him, deeply, the way he use to, before Jennifer.  “Guess I should get one out on you too.” Distract! Distract! Distract him from what?

“You smell wrong…” Derek said softly for a moment his eyes returning to that odd hazel mix he loved staring at. The jig is up! In a move that surprised Stiles he felt his arms snap out with super human strength and just like that he was free from a __werewolf__  grip. He was beyond fucked. His out of control body took several charging steps to freedom before he lost himself again.

__Con_ _ _~~_52_ ~~ _ __23: Stiles would be dating you._ _

Derek walked into the darkly lit room seeing the soft reflection of Stiles eyes tracking him in silence. He had been warned to ignore whatever he might say, not to set him free, not to get within four feet of him, and most importantly- not to harm him. He felt his heart squeezing painfully tight as Stiles smiled sweetly at him as though nothing were wrong. “Hello Derek.”

“Hi.”

“Come to pay your respect to your cast offs? Not seen Jennifer recently have you? Come crawling back for forgiveness?” Stiles spoke so casually to him he could almost believe that thing driving his, his nothing, was Stiles. But he had seen proof of the opposite. Proof he wouldn’t have even noticed if he hadn’t been outside trying to call Jennifer again. He had heard him attacking Scott on a stray wind that had carried the sound just far enough.

“No,” he hoped keeping his answers small wouldn’t give that thing enough to work with.

“You wouldn’t get it anyway,” Stiles answered with a shrug, the heavy, too heavy for a human, chains clinking from the movement. He had been chained to the very walls and floors of the cement basement, shackled so heavily even a werewolf would bend under the weight. He did his best not to focus on the etched runes in the metal, looking at them too closely made his eyes hurt.

Seeing that he wouldn’t answer to that bait Stiles continued, “I’ll be too busy trying to reconcile with the fact I killed Jennifer.”

He felt fury rise up in him. Jennifer had been sweet and wonderful. Something he could actually touch and love, and though she hadn’t smelled as nice, she was good for him. She had helped ease the pain of Laura’s death, pushing close to a year now. She had even been oddly okay with how the life debts the peacekeepers had sustained evened out. He knew Stiles would have objected to how they had handled Gerard.

“Why would you even do that? She was a victim!” He took a step forward realizing he had almost violated a rule. Straining with the effort to stop his forward rage induced momentum he shook. Stiles tilted his head eyeing him carefully.

“Oh, it’s so cute how you didn’t even realize you were being played. You’re welcome by the way, I handled both the Darach and the Alpha pack. No one even saw the pattern of the Threefold Death ritual. I almost got laid, she messed up there. There was no reason for Heather to die, except for someone to gain something. It was easy after that to see the pattern. Game recognizes game Derek, only I kill to keep my secret safe, but I could kill anytime I want, she killed for power to kill some more. Predators recognize each other.” Stiles waved the large block-shaped cuffs that encased his joined wrists up, fingers curling awkwardly together in a beckoning motion.

Derek didn’t comply trying to register the words. Jennifer killed people? Killed someone that Stiles had been fixing to sleep with? He felt betrayed at that. Just another thing in his life to feel sorry about, but his mind back tracked quickly that he was no better. Even worse than Stiles, he had actually slept with someone else, and even others before her! He was far too experienced and Stiles had none.

“They thought they could take me. The crazy half feral one was actually upset I finished the job she never did. No one likes a half assed alpha that’s more interested in power, or you know, more interested in pity parties and sex than taking care of their pack.” The words struck like painful barbs into his heart. Of course he had been self-centered in his grief that was only fair, but he had practically ignored Stiles after that. After everything he had sacrificed in himself, to protect the pack. And now he was bound and chained until they could free him from the creature that had slipped into him from that sacrifice.

“I love Stiles.” He insisted feeling his argument weak on his lips. He did love him, God did he love him, but somewhere in the mess that was the fire he had forgot to keep showing him.

“Oh I know you love me. You love me so much I grew my hair out for you. I heard Lydia say how wonderful it was to run her fingers through Jackson’s hair and I figured, it had to be nice and you’d like it for when we kissed. I even convinced Allison to let me copy her bestiary so I could learn everything I could about werewolves. About the kind of person you were, so I wouldn’t screw up and insult you or your werewolf customs.” He seethed at the way the thing spoke in the past tense. As though their future that he spoke about was gone. Maybe it was? He had hurt Stiles so much; his scent had become so sour. It grinned at him as though knowing his thoughts. No, Stiles was still his, his scent was just warped because of the thing inside him.

“Did you know that if the local balance isn’t kept the Ghost Riders come by to wipe out a town? Most don’t live long enough to know it. But those like me do.” Derek was almost sure those wonderful eyes he remembered were glowing like molten amber in the dim light. Those like him, kitsunes, fox kind.

“You’re not their kind you belong to a wolf pack.” He insisted feeling himself take another step forward. He could almost reach out and touch him, run his hand over that pale face. Remind Stiles who cared about him, scent him and bring him back into the Hale pack fold he had let him wiggle away from.

“Go away…” Stiles sounded so hurt, looked so sad at him suddenly. He took another step forward wanting to wrap him in a hug, his instincts flaring up to remind him he was wrong. Stiles was looking at him with those eyes, trying to be sad to be touched, attempting to manipulate Derek closer. Closer! Close enough! 

He threw himself backward narrowly dodging those pale long fingers that had been reaching for his throat. Stiles was laughing standing over him. Derek was still in reach if Stiles just knelt down and dragged him in by his feet. But apparently his point had been made. “I’ll remember you fucked her every moment. I’ll remember stabbing Scott every moment. And I’ll remember this all happened because I got so fucked up from helping the Hale pack in the fire that this happened to me. To us. And it was all for you and look what you gave us.” The smile was cruel and wide on his pale mole spoted face, black rings around his eyes from lack of sleep. How hadn’t he seen that in the dim light? Had he simply been ignoring it, trying to see Stiles the way he wanted to?

He should have never come. “Don’t worry Derek. You’re a century too young to take care of Stiles. I’ll keep him well taken care of and give him dutiful attention. He doesn’t need you anymore when he has me.”

He flipped onto his hands and feet scrambling out of the room with his proverbial tail between his legs like the pathetic dog he was.

In the winter, with the help of the Yukimuras and Deaton, Stiles burned the Nogitsune right out. Derek wasn’t surprised that Stiles still didn’t smell right, but it hurt anyway.

__Pro 143: Stiles is a fighter._ _

__Con 26: He doesn’t smell right anymore._ _


	9. Somebody I Used to Know

Derek was there for Stiles’s graduation. He had managed to keep it together as they celebrated, Derek there only as part of the pack and not for Stiles, not in the invited sense. He avoided making eye contact with the Sheriff and gave Stiles his graduation gift with a warm smile that was met with an equally tight smile that never reached those wonderful eyes.

A few weeks later the annual Hale Fourth of July party was in full swing. The Yukimura’s were there supporting Kira and Scott’s budding relationship and to quietly monitor Stiles. Everyone was monitoring Stiles, he wasn’t allowed to handle more than sparklers without someone present. No one said anything but everyone was very aware to keep him from embarrassment. Pack and friends magically appearing by his side when he somehow finds bottle rockets. They instantly joined in on his excitement instead of acting parental. Which Derek was thankful for, because he doesn’t dare approach Stiles. His amazing once-near perfect match and he had thrown it away in misguided grief coping.

The small fireworks were still going, hissing and popping everywhere the noise annoying him. The scent of grilled meat in the air and the younger pack wolfs and kids screaming in delight as they chased each other in circles. Derek watched it all from his greenhouse doorway. He wasn’t up for the festivities just yet. He hadn’t quite steeled himself to be around Stiles for the night. He glanced up at the setting sun, it wouldn’t be much longer before he would be missed and have to appear.

But fate wasn’t quite as forgiving as family when Stiles appeared in front of him with a careful smile. “Let me in there. If I have to share my fireworks with one more person I’ll lose my fucking mind.” Derek was already glancing over the teen’s shoulders seeing the Sheriff eyeing them carefully. He gave the man a nod and let Stiles walk passed him. He shut the door behind them muffling the outside noise just slightly.

“It’s a family night. It’s all about sharing and being together you know.” He already felt like he was on thin ice saying that. He could see the retort winding up in Stiles by the stiff set of his shoulders as he stalked deeper into the greenhouse.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” He followed him not sure if that was wise, but unable to do anything else. He wanted to be near him, catch whiffs of the less than ideal scent that had become Stiles. It was still the best scent, the most ideal mate out of all the scents he had ever noticed.

“Treat me like glass. You don’t get to do that. I won’t let you do that,” he was looking over his shoulder, jaw tight with anger.

Derek followed him to the nearest corner of the room where he piled constantly used supplies. Stiles fiddled with the small clippers on his work table there. Silently he jabbed the point into the wood leaving new marks on the well-worn surface. “How do you want me to treat you?”

“Don’t do that either. Just be you, or who you used to be. I don’t know Derek.” The words rushed out of him and Derek caught hold of the table next to him to keep himself from rushing forward to close the small space between them. He wanted to hug him. The last real contact he had had with him had been graduation with awkward hugs. He wanted what they use to have. Stolen heated moments, here in their private place. Could he have that again?

“Who I use to be? What do you mean by that?” He was going to collapse or maybe implode. All the mixed feelings he had threatening to pull him in limbs first until he became nothing but a black hole where a person used to be.

Stiles said nothing, only stabbing the clippers into the table top harder. He seemed to be restraining himself and that bothered him. The nogitsune had done this to him. He remembered Stiles being a barely restrained ball of energy and flailing limbs at the best of times. These calculated moves meant to control his emotions from bubbling over made him seethe with anger.

He shook his head arguing with the image of Stiles before him. This was still his, his nothing, and his everything. Laws had been damned, they wouldn’t stop him now. He’d take at least a little of what would belong to him now! Clearly he needed to be reassured of that, and it had been long enough. Surely now he could show some affection without their past rearing its ugly head at every motion. He slipped his arms around Stiles’s waist tucking his chin onto his shoulder. “Is sorry enough?” He offered up forcing a smile onto his face.

“I killed your evil girlfriend. What do you think?” Stiles acted as though it was nothing. As though Derek didn’t know murdering someone still ate him up inside. Like the way he was still stabbing the clippers into the table wasn’t him just wishing he could stab himself for what he had done. Derek wanted to slap the damn tool away and force him to look at him, but he was… no he would. If Stiles wanted him to not to treat him like glass than he would. He would be what was wanted, he had resisted that for far too long.

It was an easy motion slapping the clippers away. They flipped free skidding across the surface of the table knocking over an empty seedling container and flying over the edge disappearing out of view. It was an easy matter of reaching up and spinning Stiles around by his shoulder to look at him. “You could have cut me!” He snapped glaring at him. He had both hands on those slim shoulders now, there were muscles there sure, but he was thin. Too thin, was he still beating himself up from the possession? He remembered the nogitsune’s parting words.

“You haven’t been eating right have you?” Stiles looked away not answering his question. Was he beating himself up over the things he had done? That was Stiles though; he should have realized that would have happened. He let his hands slip up to his neck and guide Stiles to look back at him. Looking closely he saw the telltale signs of lack of sleep, a slight puffiness under his eyes begging for at least a nap.

He pressed his forehead against Stiles’s, closing his eyes for strength. “I’m going to run back inside, find a sleeping bag from the new camping gear Cora got and you’re going to sleep here when I get back. I’ll stay with you while you sleep. I promise.” He could feel him moving under his hands, head tilting back, their forehead separating only for their noses to meet. The faint scent of arousal filling his senses, coated with that slightly soured scent that was the new Stiles.

“Please,” the plea was like a prayer and it shot through him making him feel like God. His body was on fire and numb all at once as he let his too heavy arms drop back behind Stiles pulling him the last hair thin distance to him. His lips were on soft lips mirroring his hesitation and excitement, gently pressed closer in uncertainty. He opened his mouth gently using his tongue to wordlessly ask for entrance with a careful lick to those soft lips.

He was sure he was godlike now. He could see that shared future reignited in his mind’s eye. Stiles would spend the summer with him, they would celebrate his birthdays in bed. Maybe even break the bed if Derek had his way, and they would have dinner with the Sheriff and Derek would leer at him. They’d be the only two men in the world to have an exclusive claim on Stiles. The Sheriff as his only father, and Derek as his only lover. Then Stiles would go to college and maybe Derek would follow him there, rent an apartment for a while and enjoy the sights wherever he went. And when he graduated? They would have a lifetime together with Stiles following in his father’s footsteps and Derek stepping up as lead alpha of the Hale pack.

Stiles opened his mouth and Derek snapped back to the now. His fingers were fighting to stay clawless as they dug into Stiles’ shirt as he __tasted__. The lingering bitterness of coffee on his tongue drove Derek wild, the genuine flavor of him just as weird and perfect as he had remembered. Hands were curling up into his hair as their kiss spread, their body working to tuck deeper into each other. Twisting his tongue around Stiles’s eager one he groaned into the kiss. Fuck his, his love’s eagerness was revitalizing. He had broken him, had betrayed him, and still he wanted him. He was trying to meet his experience with mimicry and enthusiasm. Stiles had lots of enthusiasm really, if the hand that had wandered down to cup his ass was any indication.

Breaking their kiss he pressed their cheeks together letting his stubble rub into that tender flesh. He wanted to burn the memory of this meeting into both their minds. So that he would never again forget what he had been waiting around for, and so that Stiles had something good to dwell on. Lightly he nipped at his neck, licking and sucking in sporadic intervals. “Don’t go away. I want to spend tonight with you.” He felt his fangs dropping mid suck threatening the delicious skin in his mouth with the bite. He pulled away hurriedly chewing on his lip violently. He was in a weak spot, he knew he wouldn’t, couldn’t refuse him now.

Stiles was blushing red to his ears as he gave him a lopsided smile. “Not like that. Just- stay with me. Let’s watch the fireworks together. I want to feel like I’m in a cheesy romcom Derek…” He wanted to be romanced, just like Derek wanted to romance him. To prove to him just how important he was to him even if his betrayal had kept them apart just as well as the law had. “But we could stay here a bit more…”

Derek grinned at that tilting his head down again to bruise those lips, Sheriff’s opinion be damned.

__Pro 210: Kissing Stiles will never get old._ _

__Con 30: He still doesn’t smell quite right._ _


	10. Confirmation

Stiles had gotten use to the college life. Not like it was a hard thing for him to do. But get use to it and not feel the constant gloom of memories? Well that was definitely an improvement. They still got to him sometimes, but it wasn’t something he had done himself. He had been witness to attacking Scott and taunting Derek. Moreover, he’d never forget killing Jennifer and enough of the Alpha pack to send them running. But they had been bad people and his guilt could only go so far to people who killed mercilessly.

His roommate Bobby helped with that too. An amazingly free spirit who had once been a girl, he made for an almost flawless man now, and didn’t make sharing a room for the first time in his life bad at all. Though the cooking ramen in the coffee maker still weirded him out. That wasn’t how food was cooked. He missed home, and the packs but this was okay. This time away was something he needed. To rediscover who he was now, that he had a facet of his life full of possession and internal fights with evil. There was a knock at the door which he ignored.

Bobby was the social butterfly, to Stiles the bedroom was holy ground even if he had to share it with someone. He met all his friends down in the visitor waiting rooms, or visited their rooms. Whoever was calling wasn’t for him. Bobby knew the habit and bounced off his bed with a grin handing his papers to Stiles quickly. “Here, check my math if you can. I think that’s going to be Connie if she snuck passed the RA.”

He took the paper rolling his eyes enjoying his spot on the floor resting against Bobby’s bedframe. “I’m not Lydia but I’ll do my best.”

Bobby was turning the knob smirking down at him, “I’d like to meet her, even if she’d never be interested in me. I would just love to be friends with a girl like that.”

“She’d eat you alive.” He chuckled watching Bobby’s face disappear behind the open door.

“Is Stiles here?” The voice had him up off the floor, the invisible lightening still shooting through him. Small favors for small dorm rooms that made it easy to reach the door in a moment.

“Sorry- Stiles doesn’t actually like-” Stiles was pushing Bobby away from the door and taking hold of the door himself.

“No- no it’s okay. That’s uh. Derek, he can come in.” He could already feel what little breath he had in him leak out at the sight of his boyfriend? Had they officially started being anything? Probably not, Derek hadn’t been treating him with kid’s gloves but he had certainly moved slowly, like he was afraid he’d poke a sore spot.

He had a paper wrapped bouquet of his mother’s favorite flowers with a few scant roses mixed in held carefully in his hand and a shrink wrapped video game in the other. Definitely boyfriend. “Hey Derek come in… I didn’t know you were coming.” Or that he even knew what room he was holed up in, let alone what dorm he had been housed in. He’d probably have to thank Scott for sharing that knowledge with him.

He glanced over at Bobby realizing he hadn’t asked to share the room. But his roommate was giving him a knowing smirk, his close cropped red hair giving him a near infernal appearance with that smirk. “Oh don’t mind me I was just leaving have to you know… check on Connie make sure she isn’t being detained.”

Stiles glared at his retreating roommate as the guy squeezed passed a confused looking Derek. The moment was over and Stiles gave him an apologetic look, “Sorry, I’m not going to hear the end of this later. But it’s okay- I’m,” he swallowed the words he wanted to stay for a moment just taking in the sight of his boyfriend, “glad to see you. Really glad.”

“I know I’m late- I wanted to be here on your birthday,” Derek started quickly with an equally apologetic face as he eyed the tiles of the floor. The clear line of the hallway tiles that gave into the dorm room tiles seemed a barrier he was unwilling to cross just yet.

“I’m sure you had your reasons. It’s okay, you came and that’s all that matters,” he placed a hand on a leather clad wrist gently urging him in. Derek seemed to ghost in like a leaf on the wind following Stiles’s path. Stiles said nothing making room for Derek by turning away and making sure the door could be closed properly. No one needed to see what they would get up to.

The way Derek was looking at him was starting to bother him. How he just kept staring as though almost having never seen him before. A stunned expression frozen on Derek’s face with eyes darting back and forth trying to take him all in and find the difference. He tried to ignore how that made him feel. Instead, he took the game and the cheesy flowers from his grip admiring each for a moment. He had meant to buy this game, only when he had the funds the game stores were out, when he didn’t, he just couldn’t.

The flowers smelled as good as he had guessed they’d smell. He had half a mind to go out to the dollar store and find a vase for them so they’d last a while. But he knew how he was. The flowers didn’t rate high on his interest scale, and would drop to the bottom once Derek was gone, their meaning to Derek’s actions weighing more than they ever physically would to him. He might make sure to figure out flower pressing so he could at least keep the ones that reminded him of his mother.

“You smell right,” Derek finally said when Stiles had broken their small bubble of closeness to toss the gifts on his bed.

“Excuse me?” His mind was already flipping through his werewolf knowledge. Scent was important; scent was what had put him on Derek’s radar. Something about how he had smelled promised near perfect compatibility and a future together if they got along. And apparently scent wasn’t all that wrong. But he hadn’t smelled right before?

But Derek was ignoring him, opting instead to touch his face a twisted expression of pained joy on his face. “Mom told me you needed time alone- I didn’t want to give it. I’ve been so worried about you,” Stiles shut him up with a kiss. He knew, had known Derek was being restrained. It made sense he supposed. People could change, scents would change to match the person they were. His had changed because of the things that had happened to him, and yet he could heal, had healed, and that made Derek happy.

It made him happy too. He wanted to be that person he was, he knew that wasn’t truly the case anymore. But he had a semblance of who he had been now, and apparently it was close enough to make him at least smell ‘right’ again. Close enough to right that sticking his tongue down Derek’s throat didn’t fill him with bitter rage, and got said handsome man digging fingers into his back hugging him close. Pulling away with a laugh he licked his lips, “Claw me and I’ll get the newspaper I swear it.”

Derek looked at him sharply for a moment eyes flashing red. His fingers dug even more deeply against his back, “I won’t lose control.” Stiles smirked at that. He was full of shit and they both knew it. Back when they could barely control themselves together Derek had had countless occasions of incomplete shifts and dropping fangs at weird moments.

“Challenge accepted.” He pushed Derek’s well-worn leather jacket open, putting space between them, barely. Pushing up that far too tight shirt up, he gave him a daring smirk. He hooked his fingers into Derek’s belt loops to push and pull him towards his bed. “You’re going to stay long enough,” He enjoyed hearing his bed thump against the wall as Derek bumped into it, “so people know we’re together. So I can be the most hated unsingle freshmen in this summer class. Have lunch with me or something, feed me fries and buy me coffee.”

He didn’t miss the slightly annoyed look that crosses Derek’s face as he resisted his gentle pushes to sit down. “Why did you take summer classes anyway? You could have been back home and with the pack.” ‘With me…’ was left unsaid, but heard between them.

Stiles gave a shrug as though explaining this to Derek for the hundredth time. “The faster I graduate, the faster I can get out there doing my thing. Being me, and being a contributing part of the pack.” He could feel the lust between them sizzling out at the redirect. It was almost painful how quickly they could go from hot to cold. “We’re not having sex in my dorm room are we?”

Derek gave him a weak smile shaking his head. “No we aren’t. I should actually get going; I just meant to stop by for a moment. Let you know I was here and wait until the weekend to sweep you off your feet.”

Stiles untangled his hands from Derek’s pants and stepped back sadly, “I swear Derek if sweeping me off my feet is playing video games all weekend, I’m dumping you for being a lame boyfriend.” He didn’t miss the slight pause of Derek leaning down the small distance to kiss him. Hah! Pathetic, at least he’d get a better surprise this way. “Now get out before all I can think about is your dick instead of my computer forensics homework.”

He took the chaste kiss with a smile hoping that his disappointment wasn’t obvious on his face. At least they were officially together. He hadn’t been denied! Even if he still hadn’t gotten laid, what they shared was more than just sex, unfortunately.

-

Derek dropped down onto his hotel room bed. It was a nice hotel, Cora had even surprise him by sneaking around his booking and upgrading his room to a suite. There was a moderately sized jacuzzi in the bathroom, big enough for two grown men. He smirked to himself already reworking his ‘lame’ date idea. Cora had warned him, so had Scott. Though to be fair he should have heard the warning bells when Scott has said it was a perfect idea and that he and Stiles did that all the time. He was not Scott, he was boyfriend material not best friend material.

He flipped open his suitcase pulling out the already outdated laptop. He would never throw it away even when it stopped working. It was one of Laura’s last gifts to him; a laptop for the future, ten more books from the must read in your lifetime list for the old man in him, and a bottle of lotion because he was going to die alone if he didn’t get off his ass and date Stiles. Her words not his. The books already had cracked spines, but just like the creepy bottle of lotion he kept them all in good condition and touched them as little as possible once their purpose had been met. Except the bottle of lotion, he was never ever using that the way she had implied for it to be used.

He traced the lines of dings and scratches on the lid as he thought of what to look for. How could he make his first proper date with Stiles right? He didn’t want to aim for perfect. This was Stiles, perfect would only set his hackles up about it being a joke or giving him a bar to aim for when it was his turn to be the date planner. He couldn’t go overly romantic either, that would just be too much for Stiles, he didn’t seem to want all that much to begin with. He just wanted someone to understand him and prove their love by actions. __‘You’re going to stay long enough so people know we’re together….. Have lunch with me or something, feed me fries and buy me coffee.’__

Step one was to figure out what times of the day Stiles was free during ‘dead hour’ and take him out all week for coffee and fries where he could be seen. Maybe even be a little affectionate so people couldn’t confuse them for friends, but not so much that they were told to leave wherever they were. That was a simple enough overture.  

Sex was on the menu for the weekend. Stiles seemed determined, even though Derek knew he wanted it to be at least mildly special. It was just sex to Stiles, but sex with someone who loved him and who he loved. He couldn’t let Stiles first sexual encounter be on a dorm room bed that had had countless other people use it for the same, if not worse things. Not that a hotel room bed was any better- but at least the mattress had probably been replaced in the last decade. And the surroundings were better, a lot more like a home than a half-way home.

So coffee, sex, a gift? A flower press. As dumb as the idea sounded for the half second it bubbled up in his mind, he knew it was perfect. He had chosen flowers he knew his mother had liked because he liked thinking of his mother as she had been before sickness took her. Preserving those flowers would be wonderful and the press could be put to use later for whatever magic studies he still did. He knew Deaton liked to collect his own herbs, and while Stiles didn’t like talking about his unstable magic, he knew that would change. When Stiles didn’t feel like a wreck of a spark anymore he’d gladly talk about it.

“This place is big enough for an honest arcane store, it has to be.” He smiled at the loaded up laptop, his desktop welcoming him with the last full family photo that had been taking while all the Hales had been alive. Granted only three were missing now, but it was still painful. It always would be he guessed, but it could have been worse. Opening up his browser he decided to throw in a search for a local mom and pop burger joint. Stiles was going to have the best first date ever, in the history of first dates really. Because Derek already knew all there was to know about him and no one else could have such a finely crafted first date.

He had waited three years to show Stiles how much he loved him and he was going to do it right! 

Picking up his phone to alleviate the relationship doubt he was sure was turning in __his__  boyfriend’s head he grinned.

-

Stiles smirked at the text feeling his chest grow wonderfully tight. ‘I hope you have some sweatpants, you’re going to need the elastic waist.’ So his silly dream of eating Johnny Clark’s famous foot high burger was going to become a reality. At least sharing it with Derek they had an actual hope of finishing it all in one sitting, though they would definitely have to take the chili cheese fries to go.

‘When are you free this week… you said something about coffee?’ His phone dinged a few more times as Derek not so subtly laid out his plans for their date. He smiled to himself deciding that while yes, his relationship had hardly progressed how he wanted it too. He couldn’t blame Derek for waiting now, he was on the cusp of understanding who Derek had been at the start.

Laughing to himself he considered what he’d wear. After all he had to make Derek not look like he was dating a train wreck. He’d have to thank his boyfriend profusely for not punched him in the face for all his teenage bravo he had had to put up with. He’d certainly have punched himself by now if he had had to deal with himself. “What are you laughing about?” Bobby asked letting himself back into their room.

“About the time I tried to seduce my boyfriend by wearing my track uniform and laying in his bed. Rose in mouth and all.” Stiles rolled his eyes at the memory feeling his face get hot with embarrassment.

“Well obviously he saw something he liked because damn Stilinski I’m not that into guys and I’d let him do me.” Stiles smiled at Bobby’s mock swooning onto his own bed. Yeah, Derek might have been pulled in by smell, but apparently he had stayed for a reason. Perhaps the same reason he felt they were together now. They were simply meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this story ended up being longer than I had thought it would be when I started. I'm glad I finished, and if you made it to this end thank you for sticking around. I hope you enjoyed the story!


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